Chapter 25.1
Although the leaf had already vanished, the gold on its veins had been so bright and beautiful that it could have enchanted anyone. Yet it only made the cold smile on Cheng Lingxue’s face carry a trace of ferocity.
She had seen that beautiful gold before.
Unfortunately, it had been when she was dying in her previous life.
That person had worn an ugly smile while speaking with the most disgusting expression, telling her everything she had done.
There seemed to be something strange attached to that person. The reason Cheng Lingxue knew was because while that person spoke, she had also been conversing with that thing.
Later, when Cheng Lingxue’s consciousness had grown hazy, she vaguely felt something reach out from that person and land on her. She did not know what it had been pulling at, but in an instant, nausea, agony, and a tearing pain surged up, as if her very soul was being ripped apart. Something had been dragged out of her.
What entered her vision was gold.
The exact same gold as this.
That was the goal of that person’s approach, the reason she had calculated everything against Cheng Lingxue.
It was something that person had called “luck.”
At the time, Cheng Lingxue had not known what use luck had. But now, it seemed there were still many things she did not know. She had to be even more careful…
A cold glint flashed through Cheng Lingxue’s eyes. She looked at her phone with some hesitation.
Since the other party could even create such abnormal situations, could they also monitor her phone?
But then Cheng Lingxue thought about it again. If they were really that powerful, they should have acted long ago. Such actions definitely had limitations.
Besides, this would not affect what she needed to do.
She would make that person pay the price!
Rubbing the space between her brows, Cheng Lingxue eased her restless emotions. Only then did she slowly leave the pavilion and head toward the classroom.
She had just reached the corner, still some distance away from the classroom, when a figure carrying a familiar scent flashed to her side.
“Huh? Lingxue, you’re still here? I bought it back for you. Here, your milk tea.”
After running back and forth, Xie Shuyun still was not red-faced or out of breath. Holding the freshly bought milk tea, she revealed eight bright white teeth in a smile toward Cheng Lingxue.
“…Thank you…”
Cheng Lingxue reached out and took it.
The cool feeling in her hand, along with the faint droplets of water on it, dispelled the heat that had risen as she walked back. The other girl’s brilliant smile also improved Cheng Lingxue’s mood slightly.
“When I was coming back, I kept thinking about how I should give the milk tea to you. After all, there are so many people in the classroom. It probably wouldn’t be too good if I went over to your side. Since you happened to be here, I could just give it to you directly.”
Brushing aside the loose hair on her forehead, Xie Shuyun cheerfully spoke about the problem that had troubled her the whole way. She had not expected it to be solved without even needing to put any plan into action.
How lucky.
Hearing Xie Shuyun’s words, Cheng Lingxue’s brows furrowed slightly. Her lips pursed faintly, and she was just about to speak.
“You…”
“Ah! Yunzi!”
A loud shout came from the other end of the corridor, attracting both their gazes.
They saw Shang Yan holding a plastic bag, pointing at them while shouting and jumping.
“I’m done for. I completely forgot about this.”
Xie Shuyun’s smiling face instantly turned bitter.
She looked pitifully at Shang Yan as the other girl rushed over in a few strides. Shang Yan pushed Xie Shuyun’s arm with her fingertips, her tone carrying a trace of anger.
“Where did you run off to? Do you know how long I looked for you? I was afraid you hadn’t eaten lunch. I feel like the food I ate just now almost gave me indigestion. And you’re still running around while in rut? What if an omega lured you away? If I still couldn’t find you, I was about to make the teachers broadcast your name across the whole school.”
Words poured endlessly from Shang Yan’s mouth like a machine gun.
But worry was hidden in her eyes, and she kept looking Xie Shuyun up and down. Only after confirming that there were no strange marks on Xie Shuyun’s body and that her pheromones and everything else were normal did she let out a breath of relief.
Then she lifted the lunch box in her hand in front of Xie Shuyun.
“Your lunch.”
“Ah… that… I already ate… with…”
Xie Shuyun spoke dryly. Before she could finish, Shang Yan’s brows shot up again. She grabbed Xie Shuyun’s arm and shook her.
“With? Don’t tell me you really went out to eat with those omegas? But your pheromones… ugh…”
Shang Yan took a few deep sniffs near Xie Shuyun and was immediately stimulated into dry heaving to the side. She fanned her hand in front of her nose, her face full of pain, but still insisted on speaking.
“I don’t smell any omega pheromones on you. You… school beauty!”
As she spoke, Shang Yan remembered that there seemed to have been someone else beside Xie Shuyun just now.
She slowly turned her head and saw Cheng Lingxue looking at her too. Those dark pupils were somewhat gloomy, immediately making a chill climb up from Shang Yan’s tailbone and sweep through her entire body. She could not help shivering, and her mouth finally stopped moving.
The other party was clearly only an omega, so why did Shang Yan always feel her hair stand on end beneath her gaze?
Shang Yan swallowed as she thought this.
Then she watched Cheng Lingxue’s gaze move, and she subconsciously followed it. She saw that gaze land on the arm she was using to grab Xie Shuyun.
That gaze was like a blade, stabbing into her flesh again and again. It drew no blood, but it made Shang Yan ache to the heart.
She immediately let go and stood properly, not daring to act recklessly anymore.
“Ahem, forget it. I didn’t eat much lunch anyway. I’ll eat this lunch box myself.”
“Eh, but…”
But Shang Yan had already run back to the classroom like a gust of wind, fully demonstrating what it meant to come and go without a trace. Xie Shuyun smiled awkwardly at Cheng Lingxue, not knowing what to do.
In the classroom, Shang Yan opened the lunch box and stuffed a mouthful of food into her mouth to calm herself down.
In the past, she had rarely interacted with Cheng Lingxue at close range. Now, she felt…
What was wrong with touching Xie Shuyun a little?
They were both alphas. It was not as if she was into alpha-alpha romance.
Thinking of the image of herself and Xie Shuyun sweetly embracing, Shang Yan nearly threw up.
Wait…
Was the school beauty’s possessiveness over Xie Shuyun really that strong?
Her eyes lit up.
What shocking secret was this?
In order to suppress herself, she kept stuffing food into her mouth. She felt that if she said it out loud, she would probably not be far from death. The school beauty would definitely kill her.
But from the moment Cheng Lingxue and Xie Shuyun entered the classroom, Shang Yan’s gossip-filled gaze never moved away from them again.
Her heart became even more certain of her own guess.
If she did not dare say it out loud, she could just ask Xie Shuyun, right?
Waiting until Xie Shuyun returned to her seat, Shang Yan hugged the lunch box and leaned over.
“Hey, Yunzi, did you really eat lunch with the school beauty? Don’t tell me the school beauty brought you lunch?”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect Lingxue to bring a lunch box back for me either. I forgot to tell you at the time. I’m really sorry.”
Xie Shuyun sincerely apologized to Shang Yan.
But Shang Yan did not care about that at all. All her attention was on the words from earlier.
Lingxue?
She was already calling her by two characters?
Then that relationship… emm.
“In that case, don’t tell me you two really already…”
As she spoke, Shang Yan winked. At this moment, silence spoke louder than words.
“Didn’t I already explain everything clearly to you this morning? We count as… friends…?”
When she said the last two words, Xie Shuyun herself hesitated a little.
After all, she did not know whether Cheng Lingxue had acknowledged her or not. But Cheng Lingxue was willing to eat lunch with her, so that should…
count, right?
However, Xie Shuyun’s hesitation did not make Shang Yan believe her. Instead, Shang Yan felt even more certain that covering something up meant there was something to explain.
She could not help touching her chin.
Who would have thought? Who would have thought?
Not long ago, these two had still been like fire and water. Now, they had already reached this stage.
It really made one curious about what exactly had happened.
“Don’t overthink things.”
Seeing Shang Yan’s eyes keep darting around, clearly thinking nothing good, Xie Shuyun could not help speaking up.
But all she received was a perfunctory reply.
She rubbed her temples and finally gave up on continuing to explain to Shang Yan. She had also realized that the other party simply did not believe her words at all.
She could only hope Shang Yan would not go around talking nonsense.
If it reached Cheng Lingxue’s ears, then she would be finished!
Fortunately, the week passed quickly, and Xie Shuyun’s rut finally ended.
She was so happy she almost cried.
During those days, omegas had constantly rushed toward her one after another, burning with enthusiasm and using all kinds of tricks. She had almost gone numb.
Aside from going to school, she did not dare run around anywhere. She could only obediently stay in her room.
Of course, there was also one other matter: Cheng Wenchi and his daughter.
The day after they finished giving statements, Cheng Wenchi woke up.
After being thrown by Cheng Lingxue like that, he had suffered a mild concussion. Lying in the hospital bed, he acted pitiful in front of the police and cried about how miserable he was. He also kept cursing Cheng Lingxue, saying that she did not know how to respect her elders. All kinds of vicious words poured out endlessly.
As luck would have it, Xie Shuyun and the others, who had come with Cheng Lingxue after receiving the notice, heard everything clearly.
Cheng Lingxue herself did not react much, but Xie Shuyun felt her anger shoot straight upward.
With a swish, she directly pulled the door open.
Inside, the man who had been declaring how serious his injuries were, claiming he was vomiting and having diarrhea, feeling dizzy, and almost saying he was about to die, was lazily lying on the bed like some grand master.
Several heavily made-up women surrounded him. He had one on each side, feeding him grapes and laughing with him.
If not for the fact that the police were still present, Cheng Wenchi probably would have wanted to stretch his sinful hand toward the young nurse.
“Trouble the unrelated people to leave first. We have proper business to discuss.”
Because there were others present, Xie Shuyun remained polite as she asked the people Cheng Wenchi had called over to leave.
Naturally, this made Cheng Wenchi unhappy. He spat out the grape seed in his mouth and shouted,
“Who are you to dare meddle—wait, isn’t this Eldest Miss Xie!”
Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Wenchi clearly saw Xie Shuyun’s face, and his eyes immediately widened.
Unlike Cheng Mengmeng, he had met Xie Shuyun face to face before, so he naturally knew her identity. In an instant, he no longer dared act recklessly. Like a good student, he sat properly and revealed a flattering smile toward Xie Shuyun.
It only gave Xie Shuyun goosebumps.
She felt that this father and daughter really were related by blood. Their expressions were practically the same. Also, neither of them had cared at all about the other’s condition. They were cold-blooded to the extreme.
“Miss Xie, you came today to…?”
Cheng Wenchi rubbed his hands together. His cautious gaze shifted from Xie Shuyun and landed on Cheng Lingxue. He visibly froze, disbelief surfacing in his pupils.
But before he had time to say anything, Qin Yu had already stepped forward.
“Mr. Cheng, based on everything you have done to our Xie family’s adopted daughter, Miss Cheng Lingxue, we will be seeking compensation from you. As for the standards for all of this, you will discuss them with Miss Cheng yourself. Any request Miss Cheng makes, the Xie family will pursue it on her behalf.”
These words could be said to be extremely impolite.
Yet Cheng Wenchi did not dare refute them. He could only cast a pleading gaze toward Cheng Lingxue.
Unlike the bossy manner he had used when facing her alone last time, Cheng Wenchi’s current expression showed that he was forcefully suppressing his disdain while forcibly squeezing out flattery. His twisted face was truly ugly.
“Lingxue, there must be many misunderstandings here. Just on account of the fact that I’m your second uncle, don’t take things so seriously, alright? You used to be the most obedient and sensible. You wouldn’t make things difficult for your second uncle, right?”
Cheng Wenchi kept saying “second uncle,” emphasizing those two words heavily. It was obvious he wanted to use his status to pressure her.
Xie Shuyun’s brows shot up. She very much wanted to expose this person’s bluff, but this was Cheng Lingxue’s family matter. The Xie family could support her, but they still had to see Cheng Lingxue’s attitude.
“I want to speak with my second uncle alone.”
Cheng Lingxue lowered her eyes slightly. Xie Shuyun could not tell what she was thinking, but out of respect, she still led the others out.
However, she stood outside guarding the door.
As long as any wrong sound came from inside, she would immediately rush in.
“Lingxue, you seem to have recently gained Eldest Miss Xie’s favor. Second Uncle is a little short on money lately. Do you think you could…”
“Cheng Mengmeng. What do you plan to do with her?”
Cheng Lingxue directly interrupted Cheng Wenchi’s unpleasant words.
Looking at the man’s ugly expression, a trace of disgust flashed through her eyes.
She did not understand.
They were clearly three siblings born of the same father and mother. Why had this second uncle, Cheng Wenchi, become so twisted? He spent all day refusing to improve himself, selfish and self-serving.
“That girl… Right, where is that girl? I’ve been in the hospital for so long, but why haven’t I seen her come visit me?”
When Cheng Mengmeng was mentioned, Cheng Wenchi immediately blew his beard and glared. He did not even think about who had caused him to enter the hospital in the first place.
Wasn’t it that wretched girl randomly causing trouble?
Now things were good. She had disappeared completely.
Seeing anger flash across the man’s face, Cheng Lingxue revealed a mocking expression.
Only now was he asking?
He had probably forgotten Cheng Mengmeng existed long ago.
She did not want to continue staying here either and spoke very directly.
“I will pursue all necessary legal procedures to the end. When the time comes, I won’t miss a single cent of the compensation that should be paid…”
Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Wenchi interrupted her.
Now that Xie Shuyun and the others were not here, Cheng Wenchi believed he had no reason to fear Cheng Lingxue, and his voice could not help rising.
“I’m your second uncle! What are you saying right now? You actually want compensation from your elder? What kind of words are those?!”
Cheng Lingxue reached out and grabbed the rail of the hospital bed.
Under her force, the rail trembled faintly.
Her gaze fixed on Cheng Wenchi, a fierce light surfacing in her eyes. Word by word, she spoke powerfully.
“I don’t want to have an elder who schemes against the younger generation at all. Especially an elder who covets his niece’s property.”
Under Cheng Lingxue’s stare, Cheng Wenchi did not feel regret, but he did feel shame.
With a thick face, he raised his chin high and said,
“You’re living in the Xie family now, and you have so many houses under your name. What’s wrong with me selling one? At worst, I’ll give you a little share afterward. Why make such a huge fuss? As expected, just like that person said—mm…”
Cheng Wenchi was muttering to vent his dissatisfaction with Cheng Lingxue, but in the next second, his cheek was pinched by a hand and pulled forward.
He fell into a pair of dark, deep pupils filled with coldness.
Only now did Cheng Wenchi finally experience what Cheng Mengmeng had felt.
His entire body felt as if it were coiled by a poisonous snake. His whole body went weak, and coldness seeped through him. Beside his ear came a devil-like whisper.
“It seems you know more than I do. Don’t worry. I’ll make you spit out everything you know.”
“You… what do you want to do…”
Trembling, Cheng Wenchi felt the fingertip sliding along his neck. It felt as if it would pierce through his throat in the next second, and countless drops of cold sweat seeped out across his face.
“That will depend on your performance.”
When Cheng Lingxue opened the door, Xie Shuyun was hit by the foul smell from inside and took a step back. Only after Cheng Lingxue closed the door was that nauseating smell finally blocked off.
“Sorry. We’ve already finished talking. When the time comes, I’ll prepare a document for Housekeeper Qin. I’ll have to trouble Housekeeper Qin to have my second uncle sign it.”
“I understand, Miss Cheng. I’ll definitely handle it properly for you.”
The matter of the Cheng residence finally came to an end. Certain people had also paid the price they deserved. For now, it could be considered a happy ending for everyone, and the stone in Cheng Lingxue’s heart had finally been removed.
At this moment, Cheng Lingxue and Xie Shuyun were preparing for the Mathematical Olympiad competition.
Going to Cheng Lingxue’s room was impossible, and Xie Shuyun’s room was not suitable either, so they simply gathered in the living room.
Compared to the library, being at home was still more comfortable. They could also relax a little more and would not feel so constrained.
“Omegas are so scary. I’m almost developing a phobia.”
Xie Shuyun worked through the Olympiad problems while muttering.
Cheng Lingxue had originally not cared about the muttering of the person opposite her, but the meaning in those words made her raise her head. She glanced at the dark hair whorl on top of Xie Shuyun’s head.
“Didn’t you used to really like the feeling of being so popular?”
Her fingertip lightly rubbed the barrel of the pen in her hand as Cheng Lingxue spoke with a faint smile that was not quite a smile.
Thinking of all those beauties surrounding a certain someone, a shadow could not help emerging in her heart.
Although she knew it was only the same face and the same body, but not the same personality…
In the past, she had wished Xie Shuyun’s attention would be attracted by others so that Xie Shuyun would stop looking for her and, preferably, forget her entirely.
But now it was different.
Thinking about what she had seen over the past few days—Xie Shuyun facing omegas with helplessness, yet also unwilling to directly hurt them, caught in constant conflict—kept circling in Cheng Lingxue’s mind, making the irritation in her heart rise continuously.
But after saying those words, she regretted it a little.
The face and body were the same, but the personality was different. How could she compare them?
“Wu…”
Xie Shuyun clutched her head, feeling that the “burden” the original body had left her had grown even heavier. She could only smile bitterly and raise three fingers.
“No way… I don’t flirt around now. I’m absolutely devoted. I swear!”
The final three words were emphasized especially heavily.
They seemed to make the knot in Cheng Lingxue’s heart loosen slightly.
Suddenly, her fingertips tightened around her pen, and her lips pursed faintly.
She…
Why did she care about this?
What did how Xie Shuyun wanted to behave have to do with her?
Her eyes closed lightly. Cheng Lingxue let out a long breath, then continued writing and working on the problems.
Only a faint sentence drifted through the air.
“Why are you swearing to me?”
Xie Shuyun blinked and awkwardly stopped speaking.
She felt that Cheng Lingxue’s question made a lot of sense.
Why was she swearing to her?
But in that situation just now, she had subconsciously done it.
However, she did not know if it was her imagination, but she felt that the other girl’s mood had clearly improved quite a bit.
The atmosphere became somewhat solid. Only the sound of pen tips brushing across paper and pages turning continued ringing through the space.
But this kind of atmosphere also made it easy to focus.
Xie Shuyun and Cheng Lingxue both sank into their own thoughts, and their problem-solving speed could be said to be extremely fast. They basically never paused.
Maintaining such high efficiency, three hours quickly passed.
After finishing the final question, Xie Shuyun put down her pen and twisted her somewhat sore shoulders. Her stiff neck let out a series of satisfying cracking sounds, making Cheng Lingxue glance at her.
“Ah… Did I disturb you?”
Xie Shuyun stopped rubbing her shoulders and neck, smiling apologetically at Cheng Lingxue.
“No.”
Only after her pen finished the last stroke did Cheng Lingxue slowly put it down.
After pondering for a moment, she stood up under Xie Shuyun’s surprised gaze and came to her side.
The cold young girl lightly leaned against the armrest of the sofa. She slowly lifted her snow-white, slender arm, and her fingertips gently brushed Xie Shuyun’s rather stiff shoulder and neck, bringing waves of tingling numbness.
“…Lingxue…?”
Xie Shuyun’s voice was a little hoarse.
She did not know if this was some aftereffect left behind from her rut. She only felt that every place Cheng Lingxue’s fingertips touched seemed to be set on fire, making her throat dry and her mouth parched. Even her gland seemed to feel a faint strangeness again.
All her senses gathered at her own shoulder and neck.
It was clearly extremely stiff, yet it became unbearably sensitive, chasing after those wandering fingertips.
Although the area of skin they touched was very small, Xie Shuyun somehow still felt the softness upon them. She really wanted to reach out and grab those mischievous fingertips, then rub them in her palm as punishment.
The sore parts of her shoulder and neck were actually not that far from her gland. This made Xie Shuyun somewhat uneasy.
She was afraid Cheng Lingxue would notice that because of her own filthy thoughts, her gland had changed.
The tension made her breathing heavier.
She felt as if the entire space could hear her breaths and heartbeat.
Her body temperature gradually rose, and her skin slowly turned red.
“Here?”
As if completely unaware of the abnormality of the person she was touching, Cheng Lingxue’s fingertips searched around Xie Shuyun’s shoulder and neck. Very quickly, she found the sore spot.
Then she pressed hard.
“Aow!”
The intense pain made Xie Shuyun instinctively shrink her neck and open her mouth to howl.
That cry completely scattered the ambiguous atmosphere from earlier.
“It seems this area really is very stiff. It needs more rubbing.”
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!