Marking My Arch-Rival [Rebirth] - Chapter 5

Ji Shihuan had no idea that her sudden appearance had messed up someone’s plan. After Jiang Boyan left, she stayed in the banquet hall for a while, greeted Nie Zheng, and then left early.

The parking garage on the second basement level was more crowded than usual. Ji Shihuan could hear hurried footsteps all along the way. Around a certain corner, she inadvertently overheard a conversation.

“Are you sure she came down?”

“Yes, I saw her enter the elevator with my own eyes.”

“Her car is still here.”

“Keep searching. Send more people to block the exits.”

“…”

Ji Shihuan didn’t deliberately hide, and the sound of her footsteps quickly drew the attention of the others. The two parties met in the passage. She could see they were two male bodyguards dressed in black.

Probably not wanting any complications, the men bowed their heads to her and proactively moved aside.

Ji Shihuan found her car. Just as she unlocked it, her nose caught the scent of freesia.

Following the scent, she rounded a nearby pillar and saw a woman crouched and hiding in the shadow. The woman was wearing a form-fitting black dress with silver, wave-like diamond sequins on the hem.

Ji Shihuan moved closer, her lower leg brushing against the woman’s knee through her clothing.

The woman trembled suddenly. The next moment, her chin was lifted.

Ji Shihuan’s fingers were moistened by the fragrant sweat on Jiang Boyan’s skin. The warm, smooth texture reminded her of a piece of top-quality mutton-fat jade she collected at home. But the person before her was clearly far more precious than priceless jade. Even in the gloom, she was vividly alluring, without a trace of dullness.

Jiang Boyan’s eyes were hazy. Their gazes met for a moment, but Ji Shihuan wasn’t sure if Jiang Boyan recognized her.

Thinking of the bodyguards she’d encountered earlier and looking at the feverish, disheveled Jiang Boyan, Ji Shihuan made a specific guess.

“Oh dear.” She leaned closer to Jiang Boyan, her tone a mix of pity and the excitement of watching a good show. “They’re looking for you. It seems your secret won’t stay hidden for long.”

Jiang Boyan grabbed her arm, attempting to use the leverage to stand up, but her legs instantly went soft, and she slid back down.

She closed her eyes, unable to face her miserable state, but suddenly felt an arm wrap around her waist. The next second, she was pulled into a warm embrace.

“What should we do?” Ji Shihuan asked. “Do you need help?”

Jiang Boyan had been tormented by her rising body temperature for nearly half an hour. Her head was swimming. She managed to gather a fragment of thought but couldn’t express it clearly. She twisted her head, her hair brushing past Ji Shihuan’s nose, and looked toward the corner where she had been hiding.

Too sweet.

Ji Shihuan muttered inwardly.

She followed Jiang Boyan’s gaze and found a room key card on the ground.

Before she could figure out what to do, the searchers had arrived. A sharp-eyed man in black quickly spotted them and strode closer.

Ji Shihuan frowned with displeasure.

“Miss,” the man gasped for breath, asking tentatively, “What happened?”

The unmistakable scent of Omega pheromones in the air had completely exposed Jiang Boyan’s presence.

Ji Shihuan raised her hand and covered the scent gland on the side of Jiang Boyan’s neck.

She looked at the two unwelcome guests, smiling faintly without humor: “What do you think happened?”

“Ahem.” The man rubbed his nose. “Your companion looks unwell.”

He looked slightly suspicious, his eyes constantly trying to peer at Jiang Boyan: “Do you need assistance?”

Ji Shihuan wrapped her arm around Jiang Boyan, fully encircling her in the embrace.

She narrowed her eyes, looking at the man with contempt: “Try it.”

Alpha pheromones have different levels of intensity. The moment Ji Shihuan released her displeasure at being disturbed, the two men across from her immediately felt their legs tremble. The enticing effect of the Omega pheromones also dissipated entirely.

Unlike them, the previously quiet Jiang Boyan let out a soft moan and actually pressed closer to Ji Shihuan’s neck, nuzzling her.

“Tsk.” Ji Shihuan lowered her head and teased her. “That eager?”

With that, she lifted the woman into her arms and walked toward the elevator, bypassing the men in black.

Jiang Boyan’s consciousness was already hazy. Ji Shihuan was in a hurry and didn’t have time to check her surroundings again. No one noticed the solitary white clutch bag left abandoned under the pillar.

Ji Shihuan carried the woman to the room corresponding to the key card.

Omega pheromones were leaking everywhere; the suppressor patch on her neck had long lost its effectiveness. Ji Shihuan gently placed Jiang Boyan on the bed, then reached back and ripped off the suppressor patch on her own neck. Not yet concerned with herself, she grabbed Jiang Boyan’s arm.

“Where are the suppressants?” Ji Shihuan asked. “Aren’t you the most meticulous person? How could you make such a basic mistake?”

Jiang Boyan couldn’t possibly understand her.

She tumbled into Ji Shihuan’s arms with the force of the pull, and, smelling the Alpha pheromones on her, she obsessively sought them out, rubbing her face and lips against her.

Ji Shihuan gently pulled her away.

Separating their sticky skin was no easier than tearing off strong tape. Ji Shihuan was about to curse, but she looked down and saw patches of pale pink, like clouds of sunset, blooming on Jiang Boyan’s skin.

“…” Ji Shihuan swallowed her curse, pushed the woman away, and began searching the room herself.

She flipped the nightstand over, searched the drawers, and even checked the bathroom, but she couldn’t find anything that looked like an Omega suppressant.

In just a few short minutes, sweat was beading on her forehead, and every breath she exhaled was scorching hot.

Ji Shihuan decisively gave up.

She found her own clutch bag on the floor near the foot of the bed and opened it, preparing to apply a new suppressor patch. While she was still rummaging, two arms reached out from behind and wrapped around her shoulders.

“Stop it,” Ji Shihuan didn’t take an Omega in the middle of a heat seriously.

But she hadn’t expected Jiang Boyan to be bold enough to kiss her scent gland.

Whether Alpha or Omega, the scent gland is undoubtedly one of the most sensitive organs. Ji Shihuan was already in a light rut induced by her, and now that her gland was being kissed, a tight current ran through her body.

Jiang Boyan was unaware of all this. She was merely following instinct, seeking the scent that made her feel comfortable.

Kissing was clearly not enough. The movement of the lips quickly became urgent. She extended her tongue to lick it, then switched to a more provocative suckling motion.

The next moment, the world spun. She was pinned to the bed, her hands restrained by Ji Shihuan.

The clutch bag fell to the floor, spilling a few brand-new suppressor patches, but their owner, who had been urgently searching moments ago, was completely oblivious to them.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Ji Shihuan asked, narrowing her eyes.

Jiang Boyan struggled to focus her gaze on Ji Shihuan’s face.

“Ji Shihuan…”

Ji Shihuan was surprised that she could still recognize her.

She slightly relaxed her hold and looked away.

“You need to calm down. Let me apply a suppressor patch, and I’ll go buy you some at the pharmacy…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Boyan’s body, like a water snake, pressed against her.

She hooked her arms around Ji Shihuan’s neck, extended her tongue to lick the sweat beads on Ji Shihuan’s chin, and then, like a child who had just tasted sweetness, greedily demanded more.

Ji Shihuan leaned back, pushing against her shoulder to keep her at bay, but Jiang Boyan looked at her with tears welling up, her expression wronged and desperate.

“You really are…” Ji Shihuan’s sanity was pushed to the edge of a cliff, precariously hanging on.

She moved her hand up, slipped it between Jiang Boyan’s slightly parted lips, and pressed down on the soft tongue that had been causing trouble. It was meant to be a warning, but Ji Shihuan quickly found pleasure in it, stirring her finger inside Jiang Boyan’s warm mouth.

She watched the look of pain gradually tinge Jiang Boyan’s expression, the silvery threads of drool she couldn’t hold back slipping down the corner of her lips, and a strange sense of exhilaration rose in her heart.

But Ji Shihuan failed to notice that both Jiang Boyan’s pain and her own exhilaration were merely byproducts of lust. In the air, two highly compatible pheromones were intertwined, merging as one.

When Ji Shihuan pulled out her finger, making a soft ‘pop’ sound, her sanity shattered along with it.

She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the wave-like hem of the skirt, lifted it, and began to explore deeper…