Chapter 33

If they didn’t do something else, it wouldn’t seem real enough.

Ming Ruixue said this to give Si Xia a sense of crisis. When an Alpha and an Omega sleep together, the Omega is always the one at a disadvantage, no matter what.

Si Xia’s hand brushed against her shoulder, pushing her back gently. “Then let Sister try.”

She had already been marked by Ming Ruixue; she wasn’t afraid at all. Furthermore, a marked Omega craves the soothing pheromones of their Alpha even more.

After pushing Ming Ruixue through the door, Si Xia closed it behind her, entering Ming Ruixue’s cramped cabin. The cabin had only a tiny window for ventilation; the bathroom glass was frosted, and the space inside was so small that only one person could stand there at a time.

After the sauna and massage room, neither had showered yet. Ming Ruixue looked at her translucent, narrow bathroom and then at Si Xia, who was sitting in her cabin.

Forget it. She’d take her pajamas and wash in the public stalls upstairs.

As Ming Ruixue turned to leave, Si Xia understood. She stood up and said, “Sister, I’ll head out. You shower first.”

She was being uncharacteristically easy to talk to and considerate, as if she hadn’t been the clingy one just moments ago.

Before leaving, Si Xia glanced back at her. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

So, she still didn’t plan on letting her off.

Ming Ruixue showered as quickly as possible, but Si Xia was nowhere to be seen. Without her there, Ming Ruixue couldn’t focus on anything else; she had peeked through the crack in the door a dozen times within a few minutes.

Ming Ruixue realized something was wrong with her. Why did she care so much whether Si Xia came or not? She decided she might as well just bolt the door, cover the lens, and go to sleep.

No sooner said than done.

Just as Ming Ruixue lay down on the bed, there was a single knock on the cabin door. Only one, then silence. No one spoke. After waiting a moment, there was no further sound.

Ming Ruixue threw off the covers, her skin crawling. She opened the door and poked her head out, only to see a foot being dragged into a room at the end of the hallway. A pair of slippers lay abandoned in front of the door.

Ming Ruixue looked closely—they were Si Xia’s.

What is going on?!

The cabin corridor was long; it took eight minutes to walk from one end to the other. Si Xia couldn’t have reached the end of the corridor in such a short time on her own. The surveillance camera overhead had been covered—clearly a deliberate act.

Ming Ruixue immediately contacted bailiantales.com the production crew, and Director Ye activated the emergency security protocol.

Beyond the end of the cabins was a dark basement. It was draped in spiderwebs and had been left idle; few people ever came here.

Ming Ruixue turned on her phone light, brushing aside a series of cobwebs. She heard a faint thud of a collision.

“Who’s there?” Ming Ruixue’s spine stiffened. The pitch-black, eerie scene was enough to make anyone cower. “Si Xia? Are you there?”

Ming Ruixue was certain the person in the basement was Si Xia, and equally certain Si Xia wouldn’t come here voluntarily—she remembered Si Xia was afraid of the dark. She had to find her quickly.

“Shut up. Don’t speak. I won’t hurt you.”

Si Xia’s mouth was sealed with tape, and her hands were tied to a chair. The surrounding darkness made her entire body tremble uncontrollably. She couldn’t speak, but she recognized the voice—the person who had snatched her was Bei Chuanchuan.

“Teacher Si Xia, don’t be afraid. I’ve invited you here to discuss something with you.” Bei Chuanchuan moved through the darkness with ease, one of her eyes glowing with a terrifying purple light.

A broken, fierce syllable escaped Si Xia’s throat. This is your idea of “inviting” someone to discuss things?!

They were in a tiny, secluded storage room. Bei Chuanchuan switched on a small lamp, and the space instantly brightened. Bei Chuanchuan’s face appeared abruptly; half of her face was obscured, and spider antennae were sprouting from the top of her head.

Si Xia stared with terrified eyes, her body swaying powerlessly, but the chair unauthorized copy seemed bolted to the floor; she couldn’t move it at all.

Bei Chuanchuan revealed half of her original form. In the darkness, her antennae wriggled wantonly, even coming to rest on Si Xia’s shoulder. Si Xia closed her eyes, letting out muffled whimpers of resistance.

“I’m sorry, Teacher Si Xia. I can’t control myself when I smell your pheromones.” Bei Chuanchuan retracted her antennae, putting on a pitiful act. “I am a spider-person. You are the first to know my identity.”

Si Xia lifted her eyelids slightly, not understanding why Bei Chuanchuan was telling her such a private secret. But the next words left Si Xia horrified.

Bei Chuanchuan licked the tips of her teeth. “Teacher Si Xia, so far, you have the highest pheromone compatibility with me. To truly become human, there is only one way.”

Si Xia felt a sense of foreboding. Bei Chuanchuan circled behind her and said word by word, “And that is a permanent marking.”

Si Xia’s heart leaped into her throat. This was Bei Chuanchuan’s purpose for finding her: to become human forever. To mark her for life.

Si Xia thrashed her neck to prevent Bei Chuanchuan from touching her. She would rather die than be permanently marked by a spider-person. But she couldn’t call for help; she couldn’t say a word. A chilling cold emanated from behind her as Bei Chuanchuan mixed a “heat-inducing” solution on a table.

For a permanent marking, the Omega must be in heat, and the Alpha must be in their rut.

The sound of clinking and stirring filled her ears. Once everything was ready, Bei Chuanchuan tore the tape from Si Xia’s mouth.

—”Help! Is anyone there?!”

The moment she opened her mouth, it was filled with a harsh, bitter liquid. Si Xia clamped her lips shut, but Bei Chuanchuan pinched her nose, forcing her to swallow.

“Teacher Si Xia, cooperate a little. It won’t hurt at all. Once it’s over, I’ll let you out immediately.”

After forcing the liquid down, Bei Chuanchuan sealed Si Xia’s mouth again. She continued to mix a vial of experimental water that would cause mental confusion, planning to feed it to Si Xia after the marking was complete.

The heat-inducing liquid rolled down her throat. Si Xia’s entire body began to burn, her breathing grew ragged, and her ears buzzed. If she had known, she would have exposed Bei Chuanchuan the moment she saw her turn into a spider and sent her to be sliced for research. She never expected Bei Chuanchuan would be terrifying enough to kidnap her for a permanent marking.

With a forced heat period, Si Xia needed an Alpha’s mark to avoid turning into a cat, but in this scenario, she would rather smash her head against a wall and die.

The scent of a low-grade Alpha pheromone invaded her senses. Si Xia’s stomach churned; her mouth was sealed tight, so she wanted to vomit but couldn’t. Her body shook uncontrollably, and tears rolled from the corners of her eyes.

Bei Chuanchuan greedily inhaled the scent of the top-tier Omega pheromones in the air, her eyes glowing with excitement. “This is the smell… release more, a little more.”

Si Xia gagged with nausea. The Alpha’s hand suddenly constricted around her neck, pinning her to the chair.

“Get… out!” Two words escaped Si Xia’s throat with great difficulty as she closed her eyes in despair.

She thought of Ming Ruixue. Would Sister find out I’m gone?

The basement was massive, hidden, and dark; no one had entered it in a very long time. Various junk blocked the view of the small corner. It seemed Bei Chuanchuan had prepared well and wouldn’t give her a single chance to escape.

Si Xia swung her body frantically, avoiding Bei Chuanchuan’s touch, let out struggling whimpers, hoping someone would hear the commotion. Her legs were free and untied; drenched in sweat and weak, she used all her strength to kick a metal bucket nearby, creating a massive clang.

Bei Chuanchuan grew alert, the purple in her eyes deepening as she stared at Si Xia. “Don’t think about escaping. I’ve planned this day for a long time. No one will find you.”

“Come, let me mark you as quickly as possible, and you’ll be free.”

Bei Chuanchuan revealed her fangs. More and more antennae appeared, locking down her entire body. “The scent of top-tier pheromones… my heart races just smelling it. I wonder what it will be like to bite down?”

Si Xia panted weakly. The burning heat in her body left her with no strength to resist; all her energy was spent trying to keep herself from turning into a cat. If Bei Chuanchuan discovered her secret, she would be in even more trouble.

The spider antennae sank into her skin. Si Xia frowned in pain, barely able to breathe.

Please, someone come.

Someone save me…

Sister…

Si Xia shook her head, tears rolling down. Suddenly, she heard a few crashing sounds nearby, and a faint light moved toward them.

Si Xia grew desperate. “Mmph…!”

Bei Chuanchuan covered her mouth, covering it so tightly she couldn’t make a sound. She was using lethal force. “Damn it, who’s here to ruin things?”

Bei Chuanchuan had gone through so much effort; no matter who came, she would mark her first. The scent of the Omega made Bei Chuanchuan feel she was nearly there; the effect of a permanent marking would be best right now.

Just as Bei Chuanchuan brushed aside Si Xia’s long hair, the sealed door was kicked open with brute force. Bei Chuanchuan immediately retracted her antennae, looking up in shock. In that instant, a hard fist slammed into her chin. Her jaw dislocated, a tooth went flying, and fresh blood splattered the floor.

Following that, she saw the intruder pick the largest needle from the experimental table. Bei Chuanchuan tried to flee, but she was grabbed by the hair by the much more powerful Alpha. The needle was plunged into her shoulder, injecting air. She screamed in agony, crying and begging for mercy.

Ming Ruixue’s face was like still water. She kicked Bei Chuanchuan’s knee, several times in succession, until Bei Chuanchuan collapsed to both knees.

At the same time, Director Ye arrived with several security guards. Seeing Bei Chuanchuan, her expression froze. “How did you get in here?”

As Bei Chuanchuan was dragged away in a wretched state, Ming Ruixue immediately untied Si Xia. As she gently peeled the tape from her mouth, Si Xia’s tears fell onto the back of her hand.

The tears were scalding. Ming Ruixue felt the heat and, snapping to her senses, used the back of her hand to test the temperature of Si Xia’s face and body. Si Xia unauthorized copy dodged reflexively, her entire body burning and trembling. Her mouth tasted bitter, and she gagged instinctively.

“I’m sorry. I came too late.” Ming Ruixue frowned, hating herself for not realizing something was wrong sooner.

Si Xia bit her lip and whimpered, her tears of grievance falling continuously, her mischievous daytime persona completely gone. Ming Ruixue’s heart tightened. She knelt down to pick her up. “Let’s get out of here.”

Burning with heat and crying silently, Si Xia only began to relax when she was nestled in Ming Ruixue’s arms and smelled the catnip. The more she remained silent, the more worried it made Ming Ruixue.

Ming Ruixue’s heart was in knots. She carried her out carefully, her breathing growing heavier. That Bei Chuanchuan had sensed something was wrong with her long ago; why hadn’t her own alertness been higher? Ming Ruixue tightened her arms, terrified that something had happened to Si Xia.

Thank God she found her.

Thank God nothing happened.

Ming Ruixue carried Si Xia back to the cabin, turned off all cameras and microphones, and asked softly, “Are you injured anywhere? I’ll call a doctor…”

Si Xia’s eyes were red, her whole body was flushed, and her petite face was covered in tear stains.

Ming Ruixue’s breathing was heavy. “She gave you a drug?”

A drug that forces an Omega into heat—this kind of prohibited substance is extremely potent. Without an Alpha’s soothing, the situation would be dangerous. Even if a doctor came, they [bailiantales.com]would suggest an Alpha’s help. This soothing wasn’t just physiological, but psychological and physical as well. Only then would the drug dissipate without side effects.

Ming Ruixue raised her hand to caress Si Xia’s cheek, as if making a monumental decision. “Do you want me to help you?”

Si Xia let out a muffled groan of discomfort, the stray hairs at her forehead soaked through. Her flushed cheeks looked as if they were bursting with blood.

Ming Ruixue cupped the back of her neck with one hand, her voice as gentle as it could possibly be. “If it hurts in a moment, tell me.”

As the words fell, Ming Ruixue leaned down and sealed her lips.