OO Romance—The Yuri Of All Yuri! - Chapter 11

If possible, Bian Lu did not want to have anything to do with Cen Qingke ever again.

Yet she could only stand before that familiar apartment door, looking at the person she no longer wished to see, without any other choice.

She had come to ask Cen Qingke for pheromones.

They were her mother’s life-saving medicine.

Because her mother had used suppressants for many years, they had triggered countless aftereffects. Her mind was not quite normal anymore, and her health was terrible too. In particular, the induced pheromone dependency disorder made her mother suffer so badly during every episode that she would rather die than live.

To cure the illness, they needed a suitable pheromone match to assist with treatment, and this gland source was extremely difficult to find.

Although pheromones could be donated, they would mutate three to five hours after leaving the gland, so they had to be donated and used on the spot.

Pheromone donation was also not something that could be done just once. It required a long-term supply—at least one or two years, or as long as seven or eight. Very few people could persist in donating for that long.

Distance also restricted donations. Whether the patient went to the donor’s location or the donor came to where the patient was, a large amount of money was required. Without some family wealth, it was very difficult to achieve.

Cen Qingke was the only suitable gland source Bian Lu had found after searching for more than three years.

In her previous life, she had been grateful for Cen Qingke’s donations. No matter what Cen Qingke demanded, she accepted it. No matter how Cen Qingke treated her, she kept her promise from beginning to end.

She had never hated Cen Qingke.

She had only grown tired.

She had finally been freed, so why did she have to go through it all again?

She truly could not understand.

Cen Qingke was not very different from six years later. It was just that, faced with this sudden surprise, she lacked the composure she would have six years later. The door had only opened halfway before she froze on the spot.

“Su… Su Yi?”

Cen Qingke’s tone rose noticeably, much brighter than her usual careless voice. In the past, whenever she looked at Bian Lu, her gaze was always mocking. Now, as she looked at Bian Lu wearing Su Yi’s skin, that heat in her eyes could not be hidden.

Bian Lu nodded slightly and smiled out of habit. “Sorry for disturbing you. I came on Bian Lu’s behalf to collect pheromones.”

“Pheromones? Oh, right, right. Pheromones.” Cen Qingke’s gaze flickered, as if she had only just snapped back to herself. Subconsciously, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I… I received the message. I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.”

“Sorry to disturb you.”

“What disturbance? Why be so polite? Please, come in.”

Cen Qingke was, after all, experienced and used to seeing all kinds of situations. With nothing more than that simple gesture of tucking her hair back, she had already steadied her emotions. At least on the surface, she had recovered her usual poise and generosity as she stepped aside and invited Bian Lu in.

But before Bian Lu could enter, Cen Qingke suddenly shifted without warning and blocked the doorway, keeping her outside with only a narrow crack left open.

What was this?

Why was she suddenly refusing to let her in?

Could there be someone else inside?

That was not impossible. In the past, Cen Qingke had often brought people home, both men and women. The only thing they had in common was that they were all omegas. In Cen Qingke’s mind, only omegas were worthy of her.

Bian Lu tactfully took half a step back. “Bian Lu is still waiting for the pheromones, so I won’t go in.”

Standing behind the crack in the door, Cen Qingke smiled. “You’re already at my door. How could I not invite you in to sit? I just want to change my clothes. Look at me, I’m really not presentable like this. Wait a moment.”

Change clothes?

Bian Lu glanced at the bath towel casually wrapped around Cen Qingke’s body. The upper edge had curled slightly, leaving her long neck and fragrant shoulders fully exposed. The towel did not reach her knees, revealing straight, slender legs still dotted with wet droplets.

If it were someone else, dressing like this really would require a change of clothes. Even an alpha should not casually appear before others like this.

But hadn’t Cen Qingke never cared about such things?

Cen Qingke had the typical alpha mindset. From childhood, she had been exposed to the idea that if an omega was seen by an alpha, the omega was the one who lost out. If an alpha was seen by an omega, it was still the omega who lost out. Alphas were always the ones who benefited.

Whether before Bian Lu, or other alphas, betas, or even omegas, Cen Qingke had always been casual. She was used to a life of indulgence and pleasure, and who knew how many omegas she had played with. The only person she dared not act rashly toward was Su Yi. The only person she disdained touching was Bian Lu.

Sometimes, even Bian Lu did not know whether she was lucky or unlucky. Somehow, just like Cen Qingke’s white moonlight, she had never been touched by Cen Qingke, despite carrying the completely opposite reputations of deeply loving Cen Qingke and being deeply loved by Cen Qingke.

But even in front of Su Yi, Bian Lu did not think Cen Qingke would have any sense of shame. Just as men liked to deliberately show off their muscles to attract women, Cen Qingke also liked to display the advantages of her body to attract people she was interested in.

In her previous life, Cen Qingke had often shown herself off in front of Su Yi. She had only done it subtly, so Su Yi had not realized Cen Qingke was doing it on purpose.

Back then, Cen Qingke had even created opportunities to show herself off in front of Su Yi when there were none. So why, now that an opportunity had fallen from the sky, had Cen Qingke suddenly become “shy”?

Cen Qingke followed Bian Lu’s gaze and looked down. Seeing the towel for drying her hair on the floor, she probably thought Bian Lu was reminding her to pick it up. She quickly bent down, picked it up, said “Wait a moment” again, then closed the door.

When the door opened again, fifteen minutes had passed.

Fifteen minutes was clearly a bit long just to change into a dress. After Bian Lu followed Cen Qingke into the living room, she quickly understood why.

Cen Qingke had not suddenly awakened a sense of shame, nor had she brought someone home for the night. She had hurried back inside to clean up the living room.

The living room was bare. There was no tea tray or tea set on the coffee table, and there was no vase on the vase stand. The floor still had marks that had not been fully mopped clean, and there were dark water stains on the sofa.

Clearly, Cen Qingke had lost her temper and smashed everything she could smash and thrown everything she could throw. The water on the sofa must have splashed from a vase or tea set.

Su Yi had provoked Cen Qingke so much while wearing Bian Lu’s skin. It was completely in line with Cen Qingke’s usual temper for her to smash things in a fury. Only, hadn’t Su Yi said Cen Qingke had not thrown anything around?

Su Yi had no reason to lie to her. Most likely, Su Yi had already left the room at the time, or perhaps had never entered at all. Naturally, Cen Qingke’s smashing and throwing had not reached Su Yi.

That was good.

Bian Lu did not want to owe Su Yi.

She had already grown tired of repaying favors.

Pretending she had not noticed anything, she sat down with Cen Qingke on the dry single sofa.

Bian Lu did not mention it, but Cen Qingke explained anyway. “I accidentally got the sofa wet when I was showering just now. How embarrassing.”

Got it wet while showering?

Cen Qingke’s habit of lying really had not changed at all.

“It’s fine if it’s wet. It’ll dry after a while.”

Cen Qingke smiled. “That’s true. What would you like to drink? Coffee?”

“No need to trouble yourself. I only came to collect the pheromones. I also wanted to discuss something with you.”

“We can talk about that later. This is your first time gracing my place with your presence. If I don’t even give you a cup of coffee, wouldn’t that make me a poor host?”

Half-joking, Cen Qingke entered the kitchen. One could tell that she had completely adjusted her emotions. Her words and manner were smooth and at ease.

From the kitchen came the sound of the refrigerator opening and closing, cups and spoons clinking, shoe soles scraping against the floor. Bian Lu sat quietly and waited, her long lashes lowered.

Su Yi liked coffee.

Bian Lu had followed Cen Qingke for so many years and had often helped Cen Qingke investigate Su Yi. She had not only learned Cen Qingke’s preferences, but had also been forced to learn quite a few of Su Yi’s.

Cen Qingke remembered that Su Yi liked coffee, yet even until death, she had never remembered that Bian Lu was allergic to eggs.

Being loved and not being loved were truly different.

Bian Lu had understood that clearly for many years.

Click.

A cup of instant coffee was placed on the coffee table in front of her.

Cen Qingke wore a simple square-neck, hip-hugging dress. The neckline was generously cut, leaving a wide stretch of bare skin below her neck. A slender sapphire pendant necklace decorated her chest just right. The instant she bent to place down the coffee, her jade-like neck, fragrant shoulders, and layered curves—what should and should not be seen—flashed briefly before Bian Lu’s eyes.

Bian Lu did not want to look, but that moment was too quick. Before she could react and turn her gaze away, Cen Qingke had already straightened.

Others might not have noticed, but Bian Lu knew very well.

Cen Qingke had done it on purpose.

Cen Qingke was seducing “Su Yi.”

Bian Lu had not followed Cen Qingke for eight years for nothing. She knew exactly what every one of Cen Qingke’s actions meant.

Cen Qingke did not dare openly use pheromones to lure Su Yi, nor did she dare cling to Su Yi as stubbornly as other alphas might. She could only use this kind of shadowy method.

Only Su Yi could make Cen Qingke lower herself to seduce someone.

Once was not enough. Cen Qingke brushed past Bian Lu, her fingertips seemingly grazing Bian Lu’s arm by accident. Then she walked around the wet part of the sofa and sat down on the long sofa beside her.

Although her actions were ambiguous, Cen Qingke’s smile remained dignified, as if all the seduction had been unintentional.

“There weren’t any freshly ground coffee beans ready, and brewing it now would take too long. Make do with instant coffee for now. Count it as my debt to you. I’ll treat you properly another day.”

Without showing anything on her face, Bian Lu rubbed her thumb over the patch of skin Cen Qingke had brushed against. It was not exactly disgust. She only wanted to wipe away that sensation.

She said, “This is already very good. Thank you.”

Cen Qingke said, “Don’t be so polite. Usually, even if I want to invite you, I never get the chance. Then it’s settled. By the way, what did you want to discuss with me just now?”

“It’s like this. Starting today, I’d like to come here every day for fifteen consecutive days to collect pheromones.”

“All right. No problem.”

“Good. We’ll contact each other by phone when the time comes.”

She did not explain the reason, and Cen Qingke did not care about the reason at all. Cen Qingke only wanted to get Su Yi’s phone number.

Cen Qingke took out her phone and asked, “What’s your number? I’ll call you.”

“I’ll call you instead.”

Bian Lu did not know Su Yi’s phone number either.

She took out Su Yi’s phone. Cen Qingke’s number had long been carved into her memory, but she pretended not to know it and entered it digit by digit as Cen Qingke recited it.

After exchanging phone numbers and social media accounts, she exchanged a few more polite words with Cen Qingke. She did not seriously listen to what Cen Qingke was saying, only smiled and responded perfunctorily. As discreetly yet quickly as possible, she finished the coffee.

She still had many things to do. She had no intention of wasting time here.

“Thank you for the coffee. It’s getting late, and Bian Lu is still waiting for me to deliver the pheromones, so I’ll take my leave.”

The implication was that Cen Qingke could give her the pheromones now.

Cen Qingke picked up her coffee but did not drink it. Instead, she stirred the unmelted sugar at the bottom of the cup.

“I’m afraid I can’t give it to you right now. Bian Lu asked too suddenly. I don’t have any container here for pheromones… Why not wait until tonight? I just gave Bian Lu a tube of high-density pheromones yesterday. It shouldn’t be urgent today.”

“I’m afraid I won’t have time tonight. Bian Lu said there are vacuum tubes in the medical kit. Those will do.”

“Is that so?”

Cen Qingke had used those vacuum tubes every two days for more than two years. Bian Lu had always remembered to restock them, yet Cen Qingke acted as if she had no idea. She put down her coffee cup, got up, brought over the medical kit, opened it, and looked inside.

“There really are. Bian Lu must have put them here. I didn’t even know.”

Cen Qingke pulled out a round-mouthed vacuum tube about ten centimeters long and three centimeters in diameter. Turning to Bian Lu, she smiled. “Looks like you really do have a good relationship with Bian Lu. She even told you about this.”

Bian Lu did not want to say much and smiled perfunctorily.

“Should I step away?”

Collecting pheromones was not difficult. One simply had to press the vacuum bottle firmly against the gland at the back of the neck, then open the valve at the mouth of the bottle and release pheromones. Once the bottle was full, the test strip on it would turn blue. Then one closed the valve and removed the vacuum bottle.

It was just that, during the collection process, some pheromones would inevitably leak out. As an omega, Bian Lu had better step away.

In the past, whenever Cen Qingke collected pheromones, Bian Lu had also avoided watching.

“No need for you to step away. I’ll go to the bathroom and turn on the exhaust fan while collecting it. But…”

“But what?”

“But I’m truly curious. Why would you help Bian Lu collect pheromones? Why didn’t she come get them herself?”

“Bian Lu has been detained, so she could only ask me to come.”

“Detained?” Cen Qingke frowned slightly in surprise. “Why?”

“Driving without a license.”

“Ah?”

Cen Qingke’s surprise was normal. At this point in time, Bian Lu was still very law-abiding. Forget breaking the law. She had never even violated school rules, such as skipping class.

Cen Qingke asked again, “What happened?”

Bian Lu said, “It’s a long story, so I won’t go into detail. In short, I wasn’t feeling well, and she drove me to the hospital. She was caught by the traffic police on the spot.”

Cen Qingke nodded in realization. “I didn’t even know she could drive.”

Because the twenty-one-year-old Bian Lu indeed did not know how to drive.

Bian Lu did not hide it from Cen Qingke, because even if Cen Qingke knew, she would not care about her. In Cen Qingke’s eyes, there was no Bian Lu. There was only Su Yi. Rather than lying and creating extra trouble, it was better to tell the truth.

As for fifteen days later, when Su Yi returned, Bian Lu would have almost finished what she wanted to do. Even if Cen Qingke wanted to use “Bian Lu” to get close to “Su Yi,” there would be no real opportunity left.

In front of Su Yi, Cen Qingke had always understood boundaries. She collected a tube of pheromones and gave it to Bian Lu, asking no more questions. She did not cling to her or insist on walking her out or having lunch together. After exchanging a few polite words, she saw Bian Lu downstairs.

Bian Lu first went to the hospital and delivered the pheromones. The attending doctor was very surprised.

“Didn’t we just use pheromone assistance yesterday? Why did you bring more?”

“Dr. Li, please start giving Ms. Bian pheromone-assisted treatment every day from today onward.”

“Every day? The cost won’t be low. Besides, there’s no need. Doing it once every two days has the same effect.”

“Please.”

There was money to be made, and it did not break any rules. After advising her a few times, the attending doctor agreed.

After leaving the hospital, Bian Lu traveled all over the eastern and western parts of the city. She even took the high-speed train to Jin City and bought a large pile of things before finally returning to Su Yi’s villa.

She had still not bought everything. Some high-precision instruments had to be ordered directly from the manufacturers. She purchased the remaining equipment through official websites. There were still a few small miscellaneous items she could buy nearby, which she would get tomorrow.

After finishing all this, she collapsed tiredly onto the sofa.

The sky had long since turned dark. She had not eaten all day, and only now did she feel the discomfort of hunger.

Forget it. She would not eat. She had no appetite.

No, that would not do.

This was not her body. She could not starve it.

She struggled to get up, found the phone, and opened a food delivery app. Her finger slid over strongly flavored spicy dry hot pot, malatang, and hot-and-sour noodles. In the end, she chose the blandest millet pumpkin porridge, a basket of easily digestible three-freshness corn buns, and a portion of stir-fried seasonal vegetables.

She had not eaten all day. She could not abuse her stomach recklessly. This was not her body. She had to be careful.

After forcing herself to eat a little, she hesitated, then took a change of clothes into the bathroom.

Although Su Yi would be unhappy, she could not possibly go half a month without showering, right? Besides, they might not switch back after half a month either. If she did not bathe, she really would stink.

She switched on the warm yellow anti-fog bathroom light and closed the door behind her. The zipper of the long dress was at the side and easy to pull down. She opened the zipper, tugged the shoulders of the dress down on both sides, bent over, stepped out of it, and tossed it into the laundry basket. When she straightened again, her gaze flickered over the mirror above the sink.

The anti-fog mirror was clear and spotless, reflecting Su Yi’s figure in perfect detail.

She blinked, and the Su Yi in the mirror blinked too.

She raised a hand to cover her left cheek, and the Su Yi in the mirror also covered her thin, pale left cheek.

She pinched her cheek and pulled it outward, and the Su Yi in the mirror did the same.

“How exactly did I offend you? Why do you hate me so much?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I won’t fight you for Cen Qingke. I can’t win against you anyway.”

“Or do you really believe those rumors? Haven’t you always disdained parroting what others say?”

“Or do you just look down on me for being cowardly and useless? But I never got in your way. Was it necessary to mock me every time you saw me?”

“Even before I died, you still had to mock me one last time. Just how deep was that grudge?”

“Why exactly do you hate me so much?”

She spoke to herself in the mirror. Looking at Su Yi’s face distorted from being pinched, she could not help laughing.

When had the young miss ever been at someone else’s mercy like this?

She pinched the other side of Su Yi’s face too and pulled it outward, showing no favoritism.

“So you have a day like this too, Su Yi.”

“I won’t hold the grudges from my previous life against you. For the remaining time, you’re not allowed to mock me again. Otherwise, I’ll pinch your face again.”

Su Yi truly was beautiful.

Even when she was hateful and mocking Bian Lu, Bian Lu had always thought Su Yi was beautiful.

Especially Su Yi’s lips. They were bright red and bold, and they especially loved saying things that stabbed right into people’s hearts. Bian Lu wondered what Su Yi would look like when acting spoiled.

She leaned forward, closer to the mirror, and pouted at it.

The Su Yi in the mirror also pouted. Those vivid red lips were moist and glossy, and when they puckered, they looked as if they were asking to be kissed.

The pose was ready.

Now, what coquettish words should she say?

It seemed she did not know what to say.

She looked at the pouted lips in the mirror. Their color was bright red, and the lines of the lips were so clear that they felt unbelievably real. The half-lowered eyes revealed double eyelids as wide as willow leaves. The eyelids were thin, faintly showing the blue of tiny blood vessels beneath, as if they would break with a single light poke. Long lashes grew from the base of the eyelids, fine and slightly curled, each one distinct.

It was as if Su Yi were truly standing before her, so close.

The hand she had been using to pinch Su Yi’s face could not help stroking the graceful corners of her eyes. It brushed over the long lashes, slid along the cheek, and came to rest on those tender, dripping-red lips.

Her fingertip pressed down lightly.

So soft.

How could such soft lips say such hurtful things?

Su Yi…

Her fingertip rubbed against the lip, and a strange heat rose. She could not tell whether it was her finger that was burning, or the lips.

She suddenly snapped back to her senses and quickly dropped her hand.

What was she doing?

She closed her eyes and calmed her inexplicably racing heartbeat.

Her thoughts were in chaos.

Shower.

Right. She had come here to shower.

She opened her eyes and raised a hand to undo the clasp at her chest, but her gaze once again fell on the mirror. She saw her own hand, and she saw the clasp beneath it.

She closed her eyes and took a long breath.

At last, she understood Su Yi’s struggle that morning a little.

No matter what, she could not avoid showering.

She turned and switched off the light. The pitch-black darkness was a little frightening, but it was still better than keeping her eyes open.

She calmed herself, decisively removed the obstacle, and turned on the shower.

She remembered the method Su Yi had mentioned, the way to bathe without touching directly. Holding the bath sponge, she fumbled for the body wash. The splashing water echoed through the darkness. After listening to it for a while, it almost seemed to turn into ringing in her ears.

She seemed to hear thudding footsteps.

She also seemed to hear someone calling her name.

This ringing in her ears was certainly creative.

This was Su Yi’s house. If anyone was calling, they should be calling Su Yi’s name—

…right?

Boom!

The bathroom door was suddenly shoved open. Blinding light poured in, dazzling her until she could barely open her eyes.

A figure stood in the doorway, backlit, almost as if they had crossed over from the two-dimensional world. Their features could not be seen clearly.

“What are you doing behind my back?”

Author’s Note:

Yiqi: Interviewing you for a moment. What were you feeling at the time?

Bian Lu: At the time, I only had one thought… What should I do? Everything I bought today was charged to Su Yi’s card.

Su Yi: As expected, the ultimate unlucky victim is me! QAQ