After Signing a Marking Agreement with the Abstinent Omega - Chapter 25

The moment those words fell, Xie Queyou felt the tightly stretched nerves in her mind snap along with them.

She hurriedly reached out to catch the woman who had gone soft as water, her brows furrowing in worry.

Her arms were filled with warm, fragrant softness, and that cold fragrance, almost enough to drown a person, slipped beneath Xie Queyou’s clothes like vines, clinging closely to her.

“Why are you suddenly lacking pheromones?” she asked. She remembered that just yesterday, Yun Wangqing’s pheromones had still been healthy and lively. Yet in only one day, they had become deficient.

“This is what happens if I don’t replenish them in time.” Yun Wangqing softened in her arms, even her breathing burning hot.

“My gland needs a lot of pheromones. It has already been too long since last time.”

If they did not meet, she could still endure it. But once she touched the Alpha’s pheromones, her gland’s craving for lime would increase exponentially. She had endured it for a long time today before finally waiting until after filming to come find Xie Queyou.

Xie Queyou frowned deeply. She wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist, picked her up, and placed her on the sofa nearby. Her tone still carried apology.

“Sorry. I didn’t understand very well.”

Yun Wangqing shook her head at her with a flushed face. Her gaze suddenly landed on the dark coat Xie Queyou was wearing.

Xie Queyou followed her line of sight and explained, “I saw my clothes in your room, so I took them and wore them.”

They were her clothes, so taking them should be fine, right?

Yun Wangqing looked away as if trying to hide something. Her cheeks were much redder than before. She coughed softly and pressed her lips together.

“Mm.”

“Then should I release pheromones now?” As Xie Queyou spoke, she tore off her suppressant patch, but a pair of slightly cool hands caught her wrist.

“Ah You, just soothing me with pheromones isn’t enough…” Yun Wangqing raised her long, fair swan neck, exposing that fragile patch of skin that gave off deadly temptation fully to Xie Queyou’s eyes.

“Give me a temporary mark, all right?” She guided Xie Queyou’s hand to her waist and took the opportunity to raise her own arms around Xie Queyou’s neck, her eyes damp with moisture.

She was seductive without realizing it.

Xie Queyou felt as if she had fallen into the deep lake of her eyes. One hand held Yun Wangqing’s slender waist, while the other braced against the sofa as she slowly leaned closer.

Her consciousness, invaded by the cold fragrance, endlessly wanted to cling to her.

Xie Queyou parted her lips, emotions of desire and grievance rising in her eyes.

The grievances of these past few days, and the heart disturbed by Yun Wangqing’s hot-and-cold attitude, all dissolved into this hazy cold fragrance.

She opened her mouth. This time, she did not linger. Her canine teeth accurately pierced through that thin layer of skin.

“Mm—”

Yun Wangqing could not suppress a muffled groan. She raised her shoulders, pressed tightly against the woman causing her pain, and grabbed Xie Queyou’s back with all her strength.

Lime and cedar madly intertwined in her blood. Yun Wangqing closed her eyes, feeling the Alpha’s pheromones flow through her veins, and her body could not help melting into a puddle of water.

She restrained her rapid breathing, using all her focus to feel the lime circulating through her body.

However, just as she wanted more, the Alpha in her arms stopped.

Xie Queyou gently pulled away, reached out to wipe away the tears Yun Wangqing had shed from satisfaction, then loosened her embrace.

“If there’s too much, you won’t be able to adapt. This should be enough.” Xie Queyou lowered her head. Her voice was hoarse, and her breathing was still rapid.

Yun Wangqing opened her dazed eyes. Rare confusion appeared in them.

“You’re not… continuing?” It had stopped too suddenly. Even her voice was still trembling, clearly in disbelief.

Xie Queyou pressed her lips together and suppressed the desire churning in her body. “I’m not very skilled at controlling the amount of pheromones yet. I’m afraid too much will hurt you. This is already enough.”

She did not want to go through what happened last time, when Yun Wangqing had directly fainted.

Although her words were grand and reasonable, Yun Wangqing still saw the deliberate distance she maintained in her expression.

She knew Xie Queyou desired her. She knew Xie Queyou also felt awful right now.

But Xie Queyou could force herself to endure it and even use the most measured, pros-and-cons language to consider Yun Wangqing’s health.

But Yun Wangqing knew she still cared about what happened that day.

A trace of loneliness appeared on the Omega’s face. She knew the Alpha was angry. She also knew that this little Alpha was hard to coax.

She had thought that taking the initiative to seek Xie Queyou out already explained something, but she had not expected the result to still be like this.

An Omega after being marked was already more sensitive by nature, and now she was even more delicate. She took the suppressant patch that had been placed aside and stuck it on herself aggrievedly.

The gland that had just been marked was already sensitive. On top of that, she used too much force. The moment the suppressant patch touched her gland, she hissed softly.

Xie Queyou’s expression turned panicked. She wanted to reach out and support her, but Yun Wangqing pushed her away.

“Thank you. I’ll go first.” She straightened her messy clothes and walked to the door, opening it.

Bang.

The sound of the door closing rang out. Only then did Xie Queyou’s stiff body slowly move, and then she crouched down.

During the night shoot that followed, Han Si continued making trouble. It was either that the lighting made her face look dark, or she demanded a body double.

Xie Queyou stood behind the monitor and quietly watched her performance, but her heart was completely occupied by someone else.

Just now, in the break room, Yun Wangqing seemed… angry.

But she was clearly doing what the agreement told her to do, using Yun Wangqing’s body as the standard. Even if she restrained her own desire, she was fulfilling her role as medicine.

Yet Yun Wangqing was still angry.

An untimely thought quickly sprouted in her mind, then spread through her heart like grass growing again after wildfire.

Could it be that Yun Wangqing still cared about her, even just a little?

Was that why she had such emotions toward her?

The thought had only just appeared in Xie Queyou’s mind, yet she became uncontrollably happy. The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed.

For a moment, the huge stone pressing on her chest was moved away. Xie Queyou’s whole body felt much lighter, and even her impression of Han Si on the monitor improved a lot.

Another NG.

Shi Ziyi’s brows were already furrowed enough to crush a fly. “Han Si, that line was already changed. Why did you say it wrong again?”

Han Si bowed ninety degrees to her. “Sorry, Director. I was too nervous just now and recited the line from before the script was changed. Can we do one more take?”

Shi Ziyi looked at the time. It was already one in the morning. They had been filming night scenes for three hours and had not even finished one scene.

The time the crew had rented the location for was limited. Their filming progress was now completely behind schedule.

Han Si usually was not like this when filming. Could it be that her condition today really was just too poor?

Shi Ziyi anxiously looked toward Xie Queyou standing beside her, thinking she would see the producer looking angry again. Instead, she met a face as gentle as a spring breeze.

“Producer, you…” Her face twitched.

Xie Queyou came back to herself and coughed to cover it up. “Oh, it’s already this late. Go rest first. We’ll film the scene tomorrow.”

Shi Ziyi: “Huh?”

—

Jiangcheng, the Yun family.

It had been a long time since Yun Wangqing had come to the Yun family’s old residence. To her, this place had been an irredeemable abyss ever since childhood.

Sitting in the car and looking outside, she saw layers of clouds pressing over the old residence. The oppressive atmosphere rushed toward her.

She lowered her brows and subconsciously touched the suppressant patch covering her gland. The faint lime lingered in her body, bringing some warmth.

In the Yun family’s main building, the butler knocked on the door and reported in a low voice.

“Old Master, Eldest Miss has returned.”

The old man sitting in the center of the main hall removed the cigar from his lips and raised his eyes faintly through the swirling smoke.

“Leave.”

Yun Wangqing smelled the tobacco and frowned.

When Grandmother was still alive, there had never been such a smell in the house. Thinking this, a hint of sharpness appeared in her deep eyes.

Sitting opposite Su Yanyuan, a man wearing an eyepatch laughed in a strange, mocking tone. “The great Best Actress is finally willing to come back. I thought that after winning all those awards, you really believed you were something impressive.”

Yun Wangqing smoothed out the creases of her clothes and stood before the coffee table in the living room.

“If you’re not filming properly and finding a few reliable rich sons-in-law for my Su family, why did you come back?” Su Yanyuan slowly exhaled another smoke ring.

“Su family?” Yun Wangqing suddenly sneered. “When did the Yun family become the Su family? When Grandmother was still alive, would you have dared say that?”

Bang—

A cup was smashed heavily on the ground beside Yun Wangqing. The scattered shards left a bloody mark on her body.

“Bastard! Is this how you speak to your elders?” Su Yanyuan had been struck where it hurt, and his whole body trembled with anger.

Blood flowed down from Yun Wangqing’s forehead, gradually blurring her vision. She did not even blink, only quietly looked at the stained carpet, pity in her eyes.

“Since it’s the Su family that wants to climb up the Xie family’s branch, why not let Su Zui go? He’s the good grandson you went through so much trouble to bring back. Or did you already try, only for the Xie family to look down on an illegitimate child?”

Su Zui was struck where it hurt. He abruptly stood up, a breath caught in his throat, and his face turned red from holding it in.

“You… you…” Su Yanyuan pointed at her and shouted, “Is this the kind of good daughter Yun Sili taught?!”

“Utterly rebellious! Utterly rebellious! Su Zui is your own younger brother! Is this how you speak to him?”

Su Yanyuan was red with anger. “You ungrateful thing! The Yun family spent millions treating your illness and supported you in going out to show your face in public, not so you could come back and anger me! You’re only an actress. Do you really think you can climb up to Xie Rong’an on your own?”

Su Zui also said, “The Xie family is the only one in so many years that doesn’t mind that you can’t be marked. It’s one thing if you aren’t grateful, but you actually want to refuse.”

As he spoke, his remaining eye suddenly shifted. “However, if you don’t want to go through with the marriage alliance, that’s fine too.”

Su Yanyuan’s expression instantly changed. He grabbed Su Zui’s arm, but Su Zui waved him off and continued looking at Yun Wangqing.

“Before your mother left, didn’t she leave you quite a few shares? How about this? Transfer those shares to Grandfather and me, and I’ll plead with the Xie family on your behalf.”

“In any case, you don’t need those shares. You won’t be able to inherit the group in the future anyway. You might as well transfer the shares to the people who need them and exchange them for freedom sooner.”

The corner of Su Zui’s lips lifted smugly. Once Yun Wangqing truly gave him the shares, he would be the person with the most shares in the company. Wouldn’t the company be in his grasp then?

And when the time came, Yun Wangqing would have no shares at all. Wouldn’t he be able to marry her off to whoever he wanted?

Killing two birds with one stone.

Who would have thought that after hearing this, Yun Wangqing not only did not get angry, but laughed aloud instead. Her cold, ink-dark eyes fixed on Su Zui, as if seeing through his entire plan.

The corner of her eye had been cut by porcelain and was bleeding. Those eyes stared at him like a snake.

“Su Zui, do you not want your other eye either?”

The shadow of childhood instantly swept over him. Su Zui nearly forgot that the person standing before him was a madwoman who had once almost killed him. Physiological fear instantly shattered his courage, and he trembled as he hid behind Su Yanyuan.

“If you want my shares, fine.” Yun Wangqing raised her hand and wiped the blood from the corner of her eye. “Bring cash and a lawyer according to a thirty percent premium over market value. Trying to get something for nothing—you used that trick on Grandmother once back then, and now you want to use it on me. You’re too naive.”

As she spoke, she turned around, intending to leave without caring that blood still stained her body. But behind her, Su Yanyuan suddenly slapped the table.

“How impudent! Is this how you speak to your elders? I think you’ve turned completely lawless.”

“In any case, the Xie-Yun cooperation has already begun. If you don’t want to interact with that girl from the Xie family, then forget it. Later, you can interact with people of higher status. But today, you were utterly rebellious. I must teach you a lesson.”

“Men! Take Eldest Miss to calm down.”

Several black-clad bodyguards entered at the sound and surrounded Yun Wangqing. The bodyguard at the front bowed to Yun Wangqing, his posture making it clear that if she refused, they would drag her there.

“Eldest Miss, please come with me.”

—

During a break in filming, Xie Queyou received a message from Xie Wanyue asking her to come home.

Xie Queyou thought the plot was about to be triggered, so she hurriedly drove home. Only then did she learn that she had to attend a banquet for Jiangcheng’s upper circles.

During lunch, after many days, Xie Queyou saw Xie Rong’an again.

She was still as high and mighty as ever. When she looked at Xie Queyou, she naturally carried an attitude of disdain. However, she seemed much less energetic than before. Who knew what she had been doing recently?

Xie Queyou once again smelled a sweet, cloying cake scent from her, making her nose uncomfortable. She simply could not be bothered with her and ate alone.

Xie Wanyue placed a piece of meat into Xie Queyou’s bowl. “What have you been doing lately? You haven’t come home for more than ten days.”

Xie Queyou swallowed the food in her mouth and had not yet had time to answer when she heard Xie Rong’an speak for her.

“What else could she be doing? Working on that low-budget web drama of hers.”

Her tone was still so unpleasant. “I didn’t expect Wan Yanyu to actually let you handle the project. She’s stupid too. Isn’t she afraid you’ll get tricked again until the company is gone?”

Xie Queyou’s brows gathered. “Sister, you know my whereabouts so clearly.”

Xie Rong’an sneered. “I know you.”

She had merely received information from the people investigating Yun Wangqing. They found that Yun Wangqing had been filming in Qianlin, and that person had casually mentioned that Xie Queyou was also in Qianlin.

She did not finish the latter half of the sentence, but Xie Queyou had already understood the meaning from her tone.

As if you’re worthy.

Her anger surged upward. The lime in her body sensed its owner’s anger and clamored to break through the restraint of the suppressant patch, but she forcefully held it back.

Just as the two of them were at daggers drawn, Xie Wanyue hurriedly spoke. “All right, you’re biological sisters. What can’t be said between you?”

She used her chopsticks to give Xie Queyou another piece of meat. “Xiao You, don’t be angry either. Your job is indeed a little hard to describe. Just do it casually and don’t get tricked.”

Xie Queyou was helpless. “Mom, last time was an accident. I really won’t make that mistake again.”

And it was not some job that could not be spoken of. Why did she look down on it so much?

No longer in the mood to continue speaking, Xie Queyou prepared to leave. Then she heard Xie Wanyue say to Xie Rong’an,

“Rong’an, are you going to pick up Wangqing tonight?”

One sentence successfully made Xie Queyou stay at the dining table.

Xie Rong’an slowly wiped the corner of her mouth. “Mm. We’ll go together.”

“That’s good. You’re both busy and already have little time to communicate. Take this chance to spend more time together. The Yun family’s attitude toward the marriage alliance is still very vague. Mom thinks very highly of the two of you.”

Xie Queyou did not know if it was her imagination, but the corner of Xie Rong’an’s mouth suddenly twitched. Then she curved her lips. “Okay.”

Xie Queyou buried her head in her bowl. Her heart was like soil after rain, muddy and unbearable.

Even if she and Yun Wangqing only had a treatment relationship, it still had to be hidden in the dark. They could not openly interact.

But Xie Rong’an could. She could!

Even though she still carried the scent of another Omega right now, she could still stand beside Yun Wangqing!

She would even follow the original novel and marry Yun Wangqing later.

How was Xie Rong’an’s life this good? She got to marry the white moonlight, and later even forcefully seize a woman who resembled the white moonlight.

A wave of baseless irritation rose in Xie Queyou’s heart. Right now, she wanted to send the unfinished half of Xie Rong’an’s sentence back to her.

Are you worthy?

—

That evening, Xie Queyou changed into the prepared evening gown and went to the banquet hall with Xie Wanyue.

Because Xie Rong’an had to pick up Yun Wangqing, she had left early. The two of them entered the banquet hall one after the other.

This banquet could mainly be considered the home field of the Xie and Yun families. Publicly, it was promoted as a cooperation between the two families.

Therefore, most of the attendees were companies close to the Xie and Yun families.

Xie Queyou ran into Shen Lisheng again at the banquet. The moment she saw her, she remembered hiding in Yun Wangqing’s bedroom that day and felt somewhat awkward.

After greeting her, Xie Queyou carried her wine glass elsewhere, only to unexpectedly run into Wen Jing.

Wen Jing still looked arrogant and domineering. When she saw Xie Queyou, she looked at her through her nostrils. “If you weren’t Xie Rong’an’s sister, do you think you could get into a banquet like this?”

She still had that mocking attitude toward Xie Queyou. Xie Queyou feared the peach scent on her body and looked at her with disgust.

“Although I don’t know what you’re trying to do by sending Han Si into the crew, you’d better be careful.”

After saying that, she hurriedly left as if avoiding the plague god.

This made Wen Jing behind her break down and curse loudly.

Not long after, the banquet doors opened. She heard the people beside her begin whispering, “The Xie family’s eldest young lady and the Yun family’s eldest young lady are here.”

Xie Queyou’s body seemed to be frozen in place. Every movement felt as difficult as a rusted machine.

She turned around and looked from the corner. She saw a slender, beautiful figure slowly approaching, and her heartbeat surged along with it.

“That’s Yun Wangqing. A poor-looking Beta like you isn’t even worthy of carrying her shoes.” Wen Jing happened to walk over. Seeing her staring at Yun Wangqing, she sneered mockingly.

Then Wen Jing herself picked up a glass of wine and swayed toward the two of them.

Xie Queyou looked at the woman surrounded by the crowd, and at the gorgeously dressed Xie Rong’an standing beside her, her expression lonely.

So Yun Wangqing had come to the city for this.

Nearby, guests who could not squeeze into the crowd gathered together to chat.

“Miss Yun and Miss Xie do look quite compatible standing together. And the two families have been close recently. A marriage alliance really might happen.”

“And before their mothers passed away, they were good friends too. If this really works out, wouldn’t it be making them even closer?”

“But I heard Eldest Miss Xie plays around a lot.”

“In wealthy families, does that even count as something? Who really gets married to live an honest life? As long as she has the status, that’s enough.”

Listening to these people speak, Xie Queyou’s heart felt as if it had been wrapped in a quilt and thrown into water, heavy and wet.

She gripped the wine glass in her hand, looked at Yun Wangqing surrounded by everyone, pressed her lips together bitterly, and turned around.

But she did not see that in the instant she turned, there was a gentle yet restrained gaze.

This banquet was mainly the home venue of the Xie and Yun families. Yun Wangqing had no choice but to deal with greetings from guests throughout the hall. Only two hours later did she finally truly get a chance to rest.

In the lounge, Xie Rong’an and she sat opposite each other on the sofas. Yun Wangqing sat very far from her, resting with her eyes closed.

Last night, she had spent more than ten hours in the side building of the old residence without eating. After leaving the old residence, she had immediately rushed to the banquet. Drinking so much alcohol on an empty stomach had already left her extremely weak.

At this moment, sitting on the sofa, even breathing took effort.

Xie Rong’an looked at her and thought she was rejecting her, the corner of her eye twitching. “You smiled so happily at the guests earlier. What, now you’re putting on airs with me again?”

Yun Wangqing did not reply. She opened her eyes, bent over, and curled up. Not eating for so long made her stomach twist with pain. Her nails dug deeply into her palm, barely keeping her conscious.

Seeing that she did not respond, Xie Rong’an frowned unhappily. “Wasn’t it just that I released a little more pheromone at you? Be obedient. After we get married, I’ll spend money to cure you.”

“Also, with how weak and sickly you are, what will you do after we marry and you smell the scent on me? You need to adapt.”

She walked closer, crouched down beside Yun Wangqing, and reached out to lift a strand of Yun Wangqing’s hair.

“You should know that I’ve already given you a lot of face by not going after that Alpha of yours. You should be considerate of me too. As long as you cut things off cleanly with that nameless Alpha, I can magnanimously let it go.”

Yun Wangqing’s dark brows furrowed slightly. Even with lipstick on, her pale complexion could not be hidden. The corner of her lips curved faintly in mockery, and her words were completely blunt.

“Xie Rong’an, Su Yanyuan should already have told you the Yun family’s attitude. Yet you’re still here indulging in delusions.”

Xie Rong’an’s expression froze. The anger that had been piling up tore through a corner of her hypocritical mask. She suddenly stood and sneered.

“I was wondering why you were so confident. So you already knew that old man’s thoughts. So all of you joined together to play me.”

Yun Wangqing endured the severe pain and forced herself to sit up, her back straight. She did not show any emotion because of Xie Rong’an’s words.

“Cooperation has never been tied to marriage. Besides, between us, there has never been a marriage alliance. From the very beginning, it was Su Yanyuan’s and your scheme.”

She stood, straightened her slightly messy skirt, and raised her eyes. Those eyes that had never shown much emotion swept faintly over Xie Rong’an.

“If there is nothing else, I will leave first. There are still guests I haven’t toasted.”

As she spoke, she stepped toward the door. Just as she was about to push it open, she felt sandalwood erupt behind her.

“You say there isn’t one, and that means there isn’t?” Xie Rong’an turned around. Because of the violent rise and fall of her emotions, her pheromones surged out uncontrollably.

“Back then, Su Yanyuan told me personally. Now why did things suddenly change?” She carefully considered the reason and suddenly thought of something.

“It’s that Alpha!” Her eyes narrowed sharply. “I was wondering why I couldn’t find any information about that Alpha. So your Yun family was working together!”

The sandalwood surged toward the only Omega in the room, extremely irritating. Yun Wangqing frowned tightly. Her stomach stabbed with pain as if pierced by needles. She opened the door and only said,

“It has nothing to do with her.”

Her steps paused for a moment, and she turned slightly. “President Xie, if you can’t even control your pheromones, I can call a doctor for you.”

After that, she walked out without the slightest reluctance.

Fresh air rushed into her lungs, but it could not ease the severe pain in her body. Yun Wangqing held onto the wall to barely stand. Cold sweat slid down her pale cheeks, and her strength was completely drained.

An icy stabbing pain rose in her stomach, bringing cold sweat all over.

She gathered her strength and had only taken a few steps forward when, the moment she reached the corner of the corridor, the severe pain in her stomach finally made her unable to hold on. She fell forward.

She truly had no strength left, and she closed her eyes in resignation. However, in the next second, the expected coldness and pain did not come. Instead, she fell into a warm embrace filled with lime.

The fresh, clean lime with the scent of sunlight quickly wrapped around her, forcefully yet gently driving away that nauseating sandalwood.

“Why are you this cold? Why is your face so pale?” Xie Queyou hurriedly held her, pulling her into her arms. Her voice was filled with unconcealable heartache and anxiety.

“I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Yun Wangqing struggled to lift her heavy eyelids. In her hazy vision, Xie Queyou’s clear eyes were looking at her with worry.

“Why are you here?” Yun Wangqing could only make a faint breath of sound. Her fingertips gripped Xie Queyou’s clothes, desperately smelling the lime on her body, and her own body seemed to regain a trace of warmth.

“I saw you go in with her and was afraid something would happen, so I came to check.” Xie Queyou was worried about her condition, and what she said was the instinctive truth.

Suddenly, she twitched her nose and keenly smelled the sandalwood lingering in the air.

“I just heard something about toasting and some Alpha. Did you two… have a fight?” Xie Queyou could not wait to ask, her tone gloating and her eyes sparkling.

Yun Wangqing thought her tone was so cute. She wanted to laugh, but she did not even have the strength to move the corner of her lips.

“Not the hospital… rest…”

Yun Wangqing had no strength anywhere in her body, and her gland was terribly weak. She only wanted to feel the lime in the embrace before her.

She wanted to feel more, and then even more…

She moved forward and hugged Xie Queyou tightly. Amid the Alpha’s stunned shyness, she buried her face deep in Xie Queyou’s neck.

Before completely losing consciousness, she allowed herself to fall into the soft warmth of the person before her.