After the Maniacal Alpha Settled Down, She Had a Wife and Daughter - Chapter 26

The first thing Chu Jiayun did after returning to Ancheng was to bring her sister home from the hospital. She hadn’t seen her in nearly three months, but Chu Jiaxi was the same as always, lying quietly there. It was as if everything happening in the world, or the passage of time, had nothing to do with her. She lived in this world, yet was disconnected from it all.

The doctor in charge of Chu Jiaxi’s care comforted Chu Jiayun: “Jiaxi’s condition is actually stable. Not deteriorating is also a good sign, isn’t it? Professor Bai’s team is currently making significant breakthroughs in the research of artificial scent glands. Perhaps it won’t take too long to help Jiaxi.”

Chu Jiayun gently stroked her sister’s head, no longer as agitated as she was when she first heard about the technology. Bai Shiqian had also admitted that the project was still in the research and exploration phase and wouldn’t be quickly applied to the medical field.

But she didn’t lose heart. As long as there was hope, there was something to look forward to. She believed Chu Jiaxi could wait for that day, but when ideals and reality cruelly collided, she still felt sad.

She settled her sister down and sat in the familiar study, her mind not yet fully detached from Jingcheng. She had originally thought she would have a breakthrough this time, but unfortunately, she returned empty-handed. Most of the students she had focused on had indeed differentiated into Alphas, but none of them were the one she was looking for.

She suddenly thought of Yu Sui, the student whom she and Bai Jiling had paid extra attention to from the start, who had once given her hope, but quickly disappointed her. After the back and forth, Chu Jiayun had internally stopped hoping that Yu Sui was the person she was looking for.

From Yu Sui’s past experience, she was indeed a spoiled, even immature, rich girl. But judging from her performance during the training, she had truly grown and changed.

Especially the moment she rushed over without hesitation to pull and hold her during the crisis—that moment, that scene, lingered in her mind. Whenever she thought of it, it was always unusually clear.

The warm breeze at the dock, the cup of flower tea with its mellow yet not cloying fragrance, and Yu Sui’s half-hidden face in the sunlight—no detail was forgotten just because she had returned to Ancheng.

After being away for three months, a lot of work had piled up and needed to be dealt with. The memories of Jingcheng only surfaced during her work breaks. Besides the long queue of regular clients needing her consultation, there was also a research report that needed to be submitted before the end of the year.

This busy and heavy workload was both her professional honor and the foundation for her and her sister to maintain a high-quality life. Living interdependently, yet with only Chu Jiayun to strive, she had to put in double the effort to maintain the current state.

She added the content of this training session at Jingcheng University to her research report, which required citing several typical cases. Chen Yinian and You Min were naturally negative examples, but when selecting positive examples, Chu Jiayun hesitated.

Ren Xuran, Ding Yan, and Sheng Nanxi could all be used, but she hesitated on whether to include Yu Sui. She could feel that Yu Sui didn’t want too much attention, and she could also sense her yearning for a free life, unconstrained and undirected.

Many children who were overly protected or excessively restricted in childhood often grew up with this desire. This backlash depended on the degree of constraint during childhood. From Yu Mu to Yu Sui, Chu Jiayun could roughly imagine the pressure Yu Zhongqing placed on his daughters.

She couldn’t quite explain why she always deliberately paused when thinking of Yu Sui. This sense of care, whose origin she couldn’t pinpoint, felt unfamiliar even to Chu Jiayun.

She paused the report writing, intending to check emails to regulate her mood. She saw photos from Ren Xuran of the training period. Most were candid shots taken when she wasn’t paying attention, and some were taken with phones during outings or training.

These were not available in the official records of Jingcheng University. The students had gathered these photos, and Ren Xuran sent them to Chu Jiayun. Students from every session remembered her fondly, but this session’s students seemed particularly thoughtful.

Chu Jiayun opened the attachment and quickly finished viewing the thirty-something photos. A few of the candid shots had particularly humorous angles.

She focused her gaze on the last picture. It was a group photo taken outside the restaurant after the dinner party on the day everyone surrounded her for business cards. But what caught her eye was Yu Sui, standing on the far side, one hand in her pocket, her lips barely curved in a faint smile, entirely an expression made for the sake of the photo.

She had seen what Yu Sui looked like when she was truly happy, so it was easier to judge that she wasn’t happy in the photo. It was even more evident in the picture that Yu Sui was not sociable, habitually seeking a quiet and less noticeable spot in the crowd, which was very close to Chu Jiayun’s previous assessment of her.

That night, she had given Yu Sui her private number, intending for her to contact her if she needed psychological consultation. Half of the students who took her business card that day had already contacted her, even if it was just to send an email to say hello.

Yu Sui hadn’t, not even once, in any way. She heard from Sheng Nanxi that they were both currently interning at Yu Mu’s company and preparing to go abroad. Perhaps being busy left no extra time for overthinking. Not contacting her suggested that Yu Sui was in a good state, and with that thought, Chu Jiayun felt that not keeping in touch was also fine.

Since hearing Bai Shiqian talk about the pheromones in her blood, Chu Jiayun had been paying special attention to her physical condition since returning. After the training ended, she immediately stopped using the strong inhibitor, allowing her Omega characteristics to slowly recover.

Whether it was psychological effect, a side effect of the inhibitor, or the disturbance caused by Yu Sui’s blood, there was indeed one thing that was distinctly different from before: she was more sensitive.

This sensitivity was not new to her. As she aged, S-class Omegas did have different needs from other Omegas. But she had always had high standards, prioritizing quality over quantity in matters of the heart. She possessed undeniable charm but never flaunted it, nor did she stoop to playing games with emotions.

If her sister hadn’t had the accident four years ago, Chu Jiayun might have a stable partner now, or even already have children. She didn’t regret putting her personal romantic life on hold to take care of her sister, but her body was sometimes not entirely obedient.

It was as if, when the effect of the inhibitor wore off, the desires suppressed by the medication would come back with double the force, causing her double the torment. In the past few days, she even woke up in the middle of the night, feeling the silent scream deep within her.

After hesitating, she decided to seek help from Bai Shiqian, hoping to get corresponding medication to continue suppressing such cravings. Right now, she didn’t have the extra energy to consider such matters.

“Little Chu, your body is your own. Don’t think you can carelessly put it through hell just because it doesn’t speak. If you keep pushing yourself, you’re the one who suffers in the end.”

“Uncle Bai, I know what I’m doing and what the cost is. But right now, I don’t have a better choice. Please help me.”

Bai Shiqian sighed: “Then take some time to come to Jingcheng. I’ll figure something out for you.”

**

Chu Jiayun’s visit to Jingcheng this time was not only to seek Bai Shiqian’s help but also because there was new progress in Chen Yinian’s assault case, requiring her to come and cooperate with supplementary investigations.

When Ren Xuran suggested organizing a dinner gathering, Chu Jiayun initially wanted to refuse. Then she suddenly thought of Yu Sui and changed her mind before the refusal left her mouth: “If everyone is free, we can get together sometime.”

Ren Xuran probably didn’t expect that Instructor Chu, post-training, would be less aloof and easier to schedule. She immediately exclaimed with surprise on the phone: “Yay! Don’t worry, I guarantee everyone will be free!”

Indeed, most people were thrilled when they received Ren Xuran’s notification and quickly cleared their schedule for that day. Yu Sui, however, hesitated, unsure whether to go. She also wanted to see Chu Jiayun. She hadn’t felt it before, but recently, she had gone to the dock alone to enjoy the breeze and drink milk tea, and she always felt that something was missing.

Every time she saw the thin scar on the back of her hand, she would remember the hands that wouldn’t let go even in the face of death, and her emotions would change.

But what if she went? It would just be one meal, and then they would go their separate ways again, just like the last gathering.

She didn’t reply in the group chat immediately. Ren Xuran called her directly: “A Sui, did you see the message I sent? Instructor Chu is coming over this weekend. Let’s have dinner.”

“Oh, I just saw it.”

“Then you’re free, right? I’ve already included you.”

Yu Sui struggled for a moment: “I might not be free.”

“No way? There are no major events in your family lately, and it doesn’t look like any family is hosting a wedding or birthday banquet. How could you not have time?”

“Will there be many people?”

“Definitely a lot! Didn’t you see the response in the group chat? Everyone replied.”

Yu Sui thought about it. Fine, she would go. There were a lot of people anyway, so Chu Jiayun wouldn’t have time to notice her. It had been almost a month since they last met. To be honest, she did miss seeing her a little.

“So, are you going or not?”

“Just put my name down for now.”

Ren Xuran was in charge of organizing the dinner, and the location was a high-end private dining restaurant her family owned in the city center. To make sure everyone had a good time, she spoke with her family, and the restaurant was booked exclusively for them that day, not open to the public.

As soon as Chu Jiayun appeared, the students were all excited and surrounded her. Yu Sui had originally been sitting on the sofa chatting with Ding Yan and the others, but now everyone around her rushed over to greet Chu Jiayun, leaving her slowly loitering by the sofa.

Although Yu Sui didn’t physically crowd over, the moment Chu Jiayun entered, she immediately saw the instructor with her long hair down.