At All Costs (Lily ABO) - Chapter 1

The autumn wind rustled, lifting the sideburns of the white-clad female warrior. The beauty’s features were bold and striking, her brows and eyes sharp and fierce, dominating the center of the frame.

Another withered leaf spiraled down before her eyes. The woman’s brows furrowed slightly, her expression resolute. Her figure was ethereal and graceful, like jade, like a painting, perfectly blending with the ancient city’s autumn scenery.

“Cut—” At the director’s command, the woman in ancient costume abruptly closed her eyes.

She had been facing the cold wind for so long that her eyes were painfully dry. The moment the camera stopped, the pain she had forcibly ignored flooded back in.

Chi Zhaoying pressed her lips together. Only after the physiological tears from the pain subsided did she turn and walk out of the frame.

“Thank you.” She bowed to the staff.

She was playing a supporting role in the Clouds Between crew, and the scene they had just shot was her final one.

“Good, very good!” The director praised her endlessly, nodding repeatedly as he watched the playback. He patted his beer belly and stood up from his low stool.

“It’s getting late. Let’s wrap up for today.” The director shivered from the autumn wind, then spoke cheerfully.

Chi Zhaoying acknowledged the staff’s greetings. Her petite, skinny little assistant came over and draped a coat over her shoulders. “Sister Zhaoying, put this on quickly.”

“Thank you.” Chi Zhaoying nodded, then saw the director waving her over.

“Little Chi, come take a look at your footage. It’s beautiful.”

Chi Zhaoying walked over as instructed and carefully watched her scene playback, habitually picking out the shortcomings.

This was a popular ancient idol drama. The main leads (both A and O) were male, and the character she played was nothing more than a tool with no emotional weight in the plot.

As her manager Sister Wang put it, if she wanted the roles she truly desired, she needed to become more famous first and get familiar to the audience.

The current market favored Alpha appeal. As an Omega, she could only get these insignificant, painless roles.

But there was no rush yet, Chi Zhaoying told herself.

On the way back to the hotel after packing up, the small, thin assistant girl tugged at her sleeve. “Sister Zhaoying, happy birthday!”

Only then did Chi Zhaoying remember that today was her birthday. She smiled brightly and said warmly, “Thank you, Xiao Yan.”

She lowered her head and took out her phone. The newly turned-on phone buzzed nonstop with notifications. She ignored them for now and opened a chat with Xiao Yan, sending the girl a 200 yuan red envelope.

“Thank you for remembering my birthday.” Chi Zhaoying narrowed her eyes in a smile, her gorgeous features dazzling, yet her expression was soft. She thanked her again.

“It’s getting colder. Go buy a few cups of milk tea and come back.”

“Okay!” Xiao Yan replied quickly. She escorted Chi Zhaoying to the door and confirmed once more, “Full sugar, right?”

“Mhm.” Chi Zhaoying nodded, took the room card from Xiao Yan’s hand, and noticed the girl’s expression change.

“Oh right, right! I almost forgot to tell you, Sister.” Xiao Yan stuck out her tongue apologetically. “Um…”

“The eldest miss is here.”

Chi Zhaoying’s fingers paused.

“I’ll head off now. Sister, hurry inside, it’s getting colder.” Xiao Yan smiled cheerfully, completely missing Chi Zhaoying’s odd reaction. In her mind, the eldest miss and Sister Zhaoying were a match made in heaven.

After all, the eldest miss had traveled thousands of miles just to celebrate her wife’s birthday.

…

The sound of the room card unlocking rang out. Chi Zhaoying pushed the door open.

The room was much warmer than outside, and the sound of running water could be heard. Chi Zhaoying took off her coat, poured herself a glass of juice, and sat on the sofa waiting for the person in the bathroom to come out.

Yu Eldest Miss — her nominal wife.

Yu Li.

Even though people in the industry always praised her face for its natural nobility, compared to Yu Li, she could only feel inferior.

Yu Li was the most beautiful, most noble, and most outstanding person she had ever seen.

They were like heaven and earth apart.

Chi Zhaoying hugged her arms, feeling a bit dazed. Work had come to a pause, and she was having trouble adjusting — especially with someone just a few steps away who made it even harder for her to adapt.

Yu Li always took very long showers. Chi Zhaoying waited patiently. Late autumn evenings darkened quickly; in just half an hour, it was completely dark, with no sunlight left.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped. The door was pulled open. Chi Zhaoying slowly opened her eyes.

“A-Chi.” A voice called out.

The tone was cool and clear, yet carried a unique gentleness.

There was no part of Yu Li that wasn’t perfect. Just hearing her voice was enough to make one imagine countless beautiful scenes.

Chi Zhaoying curved her lips into the gentle, obedient, and soft expression she always wore in front of Yu Li.

She turned her head and looked at Yu Li.

It wasn’t what she expected. Yu Li wasn’t wearing a bathrobe or wrapped in a towel.

The always elegant and proper eldest miss was dressed in a very unfamiliar outfit — casual pants and a loose T-shirt with sequins on it.

This wasn’t clothing Yu Li should wear.

Yu Li should be wearing highly designed outfits of all kinds — long dresses, short skirts, cheongsams, haute couture — with the sun, moon, and stars seeming to fall upon her, radiant and soul-stirring.

She deserved every praise and every honor. She was a goddess, a proud daughter of heaven standing high above.

When they first met, Yu Li had the appearance of an untouchable little princess.

“Why are you dressed like this?” Chi Zhaoying suppressed the doubt in her heart and asked Yu Li with a warm smile.

“I wanted to celebrate A-Chi’s birthday, but I didn’t know what gift to give.” Yu Li pinched the hem of her T-shirt, looking a little unaccustomed to it, yet still elegant and graceful. “A-Chi once told me you liked VX band’s dance, so I learned it.”

“Does A-Chi want to see it?” She lowered her lashes slightly and looked at the seated Chi Zhaoying.

“Of course.” Chi Zhaoying nodded, her smile full of tenderness.

She was always skilled at making this kind of expression and gaze.

How could she possibly say she didn’t want to see it? She stood up, walked in front of Yu Li, and spoke first to soothe her, “You’ve worked hard.”

She had the self-awareness of someone kept by a sugar daddy. The VX band thing was from more than half a year ago. She had filmed a short clip where the character was a girl who liked pop rock dance music. To fit the role, she had done a lot of research.

VX band’s information was part of that. She didn’t remember the exact words she said at the time, but there had been something like that, so she casually mentioned VX’s dance to Yu Li.

Yet Yu Li remembered it and wanted to give it to her as a birthday gift.

As the little bird sheltered under Yu Li’s wings, she naturally had to say “you’ve worked hard” first.

She really couldn’t imagine what Yu Li would look like dancing to rock music.

Waltz, ballet, tango — anything like that would be fine. How could such an elegant eldest miss dance energetic, sexy moves?

“Did you prepare accompaniment?” Chi Zhaoying saw the faint blush on Yu Li’s cheeks and thought the person was indeed shy. She pretended not to notice and asked considerately.

Yu Li nodded. There was a shallow smile in her beautiful eyes — not much, like faint ripples on a spring lake at dusk, but intoxicating enough.

Chi Zhaoying looked away.

Using the hotel’s sound system, the accompaniment started quickly. The drum beats pounded into her ears, gradually awakening memories. Chi Zhaoying understood — it was the title track from VX band’s previous album.

The song she had listened to the most during that period.

“Happy birthday, A-Chi.” Under the indoor lights, Yu Li spoke softly. Her cool voice and gentle tone carried full affection.

Yu Li’s skin was very fair, like the finest porcelain glaze, every texture and detail clearly visible.

Under the lights now, it looked even fairer. Every subtle expression was magnified and softened, breathtakingly beautiful.

It was top-tier beauty that deserved to be framed and admired by countless people.

The person with top-tier beauty was now looking at her with soft eyes and a faint brightness in her gaze. Chi Zhaoying didn’t dare look too much. She brushed her long bangs aside, trying to hide her abnormality.

“Look at me.”

The main lights had been turned off, leaving only the ambient lights around the walls. Following the rhythm, Yu Li began to move.

It was a catchy melody with clear, upbeat arrangement, with only two lines of vocals in the chorus.

The lead singer’s voice was extremely seductive, making this dance track even more sensual and alluring.

Chi Zhaoying knew the choreography for this song was originally designed for women, showcasing the beauty and sexiness of the female body in every aspect, so…

It wasn’t surprising that Yu Li chose this one.

The noble young lady’s cheeks were slightly flushed. Under the dim lights, she earnestly danced this piece.

It was at a level that amazed Chi Zhaoying.

Although Yu Li had never danced these kinds of moves before, thanks to her innate talent in the arts, it was naturally pleasing to the eye.

It was clear Yu Li had practiced a lot. Her movements were very skilled and mostly accurate.

Actually, they weren’t completely accurate…

In certain specific moves, Yu Li seemed a bit restrained.

Those sexy actions — she didn’t dare perform them fully.

It was raw and adorable.

Chi Zhaoying’s heart stirred, as if dandelion fluff gently brushed past, leaving a faint, lingering itch.

Her throat suddenly felt dry.

Yu Li didn’t do the truly sexy moves and didn’t dare show off her beautiful body curves, but these slightly timid actions made Chi Zhaoying too afraid to look too much.

The Omega with gorgeous features had a smile on her lips and a faint, lingering infatuation in her eyes, as if filled with deep affection, watching the girl dancing for her.

Only Chi Zhaoying herself knew that she was spacing out. She didn’t dare look at Yu Li too much.

It was like stealing an extra glance at a little rose in a cloud garden.

That garden was extremely luxurious and beautiful. The rose was extremely delicate and gorgeous, incredibly tempting.

No matter how beautiful or tempting it was, Chi Zhaoying knew that this aerial garden did not belong to her.

She didn’t even dare to steal a glance, for fear of impropriety.

The final drum beat fell. Yu Li was already a little out of breath. She didn’t hold a final pose and simply stood straight, looking at Chi Zhaoying.

“Amazing!” Chi Zhaoying curved her brows and eyes, sincerely praising her.

Yu Li pressed her lips together, her smile becoming more obvious. She walked to Chi Zhaoying’s side. “Happy birthday.”

A sweet fragrance drifted in the air — the scent of a small cake.

Chi Zhaoying had always had a sweet tooth. Every time she smelled this sweetness, she could barely control herself.

With just one breath now, she could imagine how delicate and smooth the little cake was. No dessert shop or master pastry chef in the world could replicate even half of this cake’s deliciousness.

It was Yu Li’s pheromones.

Just smelling a wisp of it, Chi Zhaoying pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth and tightened her throat.

No one knew better than her how sweet and delicious this little cake was.

“A-Chi.” Yu Li took another half-step closer. Her breathing was slightly disordered, carrying an indescribable sexiness.

She was getting closer and closer.

So close that Chi Zhaoying could see the long lashes of the Alpha girl clearly, and see the eager arousal in her eyes.

The sweet scent of the little cake grew stronger.

Chi Zhaoying sighed inwardly and reached out to pull Yu Li into her arms.

“Mmm.” Yu Li let out a soft gasp. Her breath was hot, lingering at the crook of Chi Zhaoying’s neck.

Chi Zhaoying leaned forward and pressed Yu Li down onto the sofa. The rustling of clothes sounded.

“No need to shower. You just showered.” Chi Zhaoying leaned in, her lips landing on the side of Yu Li’s neck.

“Mmm… you haven’t washed your hands yet,” Yu Li said.

“No hands first.”

“Mmm… ah……”