The Cold Alpha's Black Lotus O Strategy Plan (GL) - Chapter 17

“Sique, we don’t have any classes this afternoon. What are you planning to do?”

Zhu Wanqing hurried down the steps and wrapped an arm around Jin Sique’s neck.

The weight made Jin Sique stumble. Once she regained her footing, she met Zhu Wanqing’s cheerful, laughing face.

“My Sister is coming to pick me up. Why?”

Zhu Wanqing scratched her head.

“Oh, all right. The dean of student affairs hasn’t asked to see you?”

Jin Sique shook her head. She pulled back her sleeve with one finger and glanced at her watch, indicating that she was pressed for time and needed to leave.

Zhu Wanqing gave an awkward nod.

“Then… when are we going to look for Xiaohe?”

Jin Sique made a puzzled sound.

“Xiaohe didn’t attend class yesterday or today. We should…”

Jin Sique’s phone vibrated.

She raised her eyes and gave Zhu Wanqing an apologetic smile. Gesturing that they could speak by phone, she hurriedly answered the call and walked away.

Zhu Wanqing: “…”

“Sique left?”

Xiaobai walked over while chewing bubble gum, repeatedly blowing it in and out like a dolphin.

Zhu Wanqing shot her a disgusted look.

“She left. She probably has something to do.”

Xiaobai waved her phone.

“The dean is looking for her.”

Zhu Wanqing: “…”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Zhu Wanqing asked irritably. “And why did he ask you to pass on the message?”

Xiaobai cleared her throat.

“I ran into him after class. Besides, what’s wrong with asking me? I’m the dorm leader!”

Zhu Wanqing looked speechless.

Just as she was about to respond, someone rammed hard into her shoulder from behind.

She cried out and turned around. A girl was already running away, laughing triumphantly.

“You—” Xiaobai shouted angrily.

“Hahahaha!”

Inappropriate laughter erupted around them.

The anger on Zhu Wanqing’s face transformed into embarrassed helplessness.

She and Xiaobai looked around, only then realizing that they had unknowingly become currents dragged into the edge of the whirlpool.

—

Jin Sique walked toward the university gates without stopping.

All along the way, people cast various scrutinizing glances at her. The endless stream of enthusiastic greetings she usually received seemed to have abruptly vanished.

Those gazes were filled with curiosity and contempt.

Dirty and obscene.

The car Lü Zhongcai had arranged was already waiting outside the university gates.

Jin Sique brushed the loose hair away from her forehead, revealing her entire face. The corners of her lips remained faintly raised, and she appeared no different from usual.

“She certainly has a strong heart. Something like this happened, yet she can still smile.”

“If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.”

“I think she simply has so many lice that she no longer fears being bitten.”

Several comments drifted into her ears with the wind.

Jin Sique took out her phone and lowered her head as though sending a message.

“Look at the forum. Someone posted an analysis of the department beauty’s outfits during the open lecture.”

“Damn. Her backpack is from Taobao, but the charm hanging from it is an S-brand four-leaf clover collaboration. There are fewer than twenty in the entire country.”

“She’s such a scheming bitch.”

“She always looks so proper. Turns out she loves having Alphas orbiting her.”

“Cheap… She’s clearly begging to be fucked…”

Jin Sique quickened her steps and left the campus.

When she looked up, she immediately saw half of a perfect profile revealed through the lowered window of a car parked beside the road.

Lü Zhongcai was a top-class Alpha.

Her clean, sharply defined jaw, straight and prominent nose, cold and indifferent brows, and uniquely unapproachable presence made her look utterly abstinent—as though there could never be an accident in which the first button of her shirt came undone.

Yet she was still an Alpha.

An Alpha’s instincts were possession and aggression.

That contradiction inspired endless imagination: what lay beneath her first button, and how her abstinent face might look stained with a deep flush.

For most people, however, those fantasies could only remain above the first button for now.

“Zhongcai.”

Jin Sique approached the car window.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Not long. Get in first,” Lü Zhongcai said.

The driver came around to open the door for Jin Sique, but another figure in the front passenger seat sprang out even faster.

“Lawyer Zhang,” Jin Sique greeted.

Zhang Zui smiled broadly.

“Ah, Miss Jin. Long time no see—no, wait, we only met this morning. Your skin looks wonderful. I can’t see any sign that you stayed up all night.”

Jin Sique smiled with pursed lips, carrying a trace of shyness that made Zhang Zui feel slightly dizzy.

Even inside the car, Lü Zhongcai used every spare moment to read documents.

She was simply too busy.

In the past, apart from Jin Sique’s heat, she had rarely been able to make time to meet her.

Jin Sique appeared very happy, as though nothing had happened the previous night.

She did not ask what Lü Zhongcai had arranged and obediently sat in the car, watching the traffic and crowds outside.

Only when those gazes following her like sunflowers finally disappeared did Jin Sique discreetly release a breath.

“What did you want to say earlier?” Lü Zhongcai asked.

Jin Sique froze and turned toward her.

“What?”

Lü Zhongcai’s gaze was calm.

“Before you entered the car, WeChat kept showing that you were typing.”

Jin Sique: “…”

She pressed her lips together faintly.

While walking earlier, she had lowered her head and pretended to type because she felt uncomfortable beneath everyone’s stares.

For some reason, she had opened Lü Zhongcai’s chat.

But the action had only been meant to ease the awkwardness of being watched. It held no deeper significance.

Now that Lü Zhongcai had asked about it, Jin Sique became momentarily dazed.

“It was nothing,” she said naturally. “I was going to confirm whether you had arrived.”

Lü Zhongcai nodded, and they stopped speaking.

“She’s lying,” 052 said. “The black lotus definitely wanted to tell you something. Was she asking for your help? Or urging you to resolve this matter as soon as possible?”

“She typed for so long. How could she possibly— Ahhh! Don’t come near me!”

The privacy partition rose inside the car.

Jin Sique moved closer to Lü Zhongcai and nestled beside her arm like a cat, lowering her head to look at the electronic document Lü Zhongcai was reading.

Lü Zhongcai did not hide it. She even shifted the screen an inch toward her.

It was not a business document.

It displayed posts from A University’s campus forum—anonymous users recklessly discussing Jin Sique, circulating the diary entries, and analyzing them.

The corner of Jin Sique’s mouth moved.

“Zhongcai… Why are you…”

“I was looking casually,” Lü Zhongcai said.

Jin Sique’s eyes flickered.

“Could you stop reading them? I… I don’t like those things…”

Lü Zhongcai glanced sideways, her long lashes lowering.

“They’re all false. Why take them to heart?”

Jin Sique forced a smile and moved away from her.

“I’m tired. I’m going to sleep for a while.”

“See? She’s angry,” 052 said. “The black lotus isn’t broad-minded. Her generosity, gentleness, and affectionate behavior are all illusions she created.”

“I think the diary described her perfectly. She’s lashing out from embarrassment!”

“When will you finally listen to my advice, President Lü?”

Lü Zhongcai pressed her lips together. Confusion appeared on her usually cold expression.

The car entered a shadowed area and gradually stopped.

Lü Zhongcai switched off the screen and turned toward Jin Sique, only then realizing that the person who claimed to be sleepy had her beautiful eyes reflected in the dark car window.

—

“These are several of the accounts with the widest reach that we compiled from Weibo and the university forum.”

“These are the documents for filing a lawsuit against the platforms…”

“And this is…”

At the police station, Zhang Zui was negotiating with the officers.

Jin Sique sat nearby, giving her statement for the case filing. Lü Zhongcai accompanied her as a family member and waited outside the interview room.

“We can only determine whether the case meets the filing requirements after reviewing everything,” the officer said.

Zhang Zui waved dismissively and winked at the female officer.

“Of course it qualifies. Don’t you trust me? I submitted the same materials to the court as well.”

“Why are you suing everyone?” the officer asked, glaring at him while looking through the two-page list of names.

Zhang Zui smiled wickedly.

“Because I have too much free time.”

“If you’re free, come push the wheelchair,” Lü Zhongcai said as she operated it. “Zhang Zui.”

“I’m going to serve as the president’s lackey.”

Zhang Zui muttered rapidly, “You know how successful people are. They care about appearances.”

The officer: “…”

052 analyzed, “See? He hesitated for at least three seconds. With those shifty eyes, he was definitely complaining about you!”

Zhang Zui walked over, straightened his collar, and pushed Lü Zhongcai to glance through the window of the interview room.

“You actually didn’t need to come. I’m thoroughly familiar with matters like this. I could have handled it perfectly well.”

Lü Zhongcai did not answer.

As always, she was quiet, her expression calm.

Through the glass, they could see Jin Sique’s profile as she sat at the desk.

She seemed somewhat nervous, but the Beta officer taking her statement was exceptionally gentle and guided her patiently.

They spoke for a long time.

“It’s a pity I can’t read lips,” Zhang Zui said regretfully.

Lü Zhongcai pushed back the sleeve covering her wrist and checked the time.

052 reminded her, “You have a meeting about an Indian acquisition at four this afternoon. You only reserved one hour for this matter.”

“You’re already two minutes over schedule. If you return immediately, you can still make it. If you don’t leave now…”

“All right. I already understand the basic situation. Don’t take it to heart…”

The officer spoke gently and was about to stand when Jin Sique abruptly stopped her.

“Wait…”

Jin Sique raised her head, her eyes faintly moist as she looked at the officer.

Zhang Zui also checked the time.

“It should be almost finished. With a lawsuit of this level, I could practically predict the contents of the statement… Huh? Why did she sit back down?”

Lü Zhongcai’s back moved away from the wheelchair, her body leaning slightly forward.

“All-All right…”

The officer blushed beneath Jin Sique’s gaze.

She found Jin Sique so pitiful that her heart involuntarily softened.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Jin Sique smiled sadly and lowered her head, staring at the glass of water in her hands.

She carefully rotated it.

Reflected on the glass was Lü Zhongcai’s waiting figure outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

“I-I’m feeling a little emotional. Please give me a few minutes to compose myself,” Jin Sique said slowly.

“I don’t know how I should face my… my…”

“Your Alpha wife?” the officer asked. “Don’t worry. She appears perfectly normal to me. Compared with most Alphas, she’s already…”

The Beta officer apparently realized that she had misspoken and immediately changed the subject.

“Um, if necessary, I can contact a mediator to help the two of you…”

Jin Sique tightened her grip on the cup, her gaze complicated.

“She’s doing it deliberately,” 052 said. “The black lotus is intentionally delaying you. She saw the schedule your executive assistant sent you while you were in the car.”

Suddenly, a piercing wail erupted inside the police station.

An Omega lay on the floor, sobbing. Several officers surrounded him while an Alpha shouted loudly nearby.

From the argument, Jin Sique learned that they were an Alpha-Omega couple.

Because his genetic compatibility with his original partner was too low, the male Omega had cheated after meeting a highly compatible Alpha.

However, the former Alpha’s powerful possessiveness made her unable to accept an unfaithful Omega.

The tragedy began there.

The conflict between the Alphas became bloody and violent, while the Omega was reduced to a discarded possession.

Over the course of a year, he was repeatedly marked by both Alphas. During his heat, he was abused by the Alphas and later by strangers.

Because he did not receive medical treatment in time, he developed pheromone hypersensitivity.

It was an extraordinarily expensive condition to treat.

To receive treatment, the Omega had spent far too much time moving between police stations and legal proceedings.

Now, he was nearly crushed beneath it all.

The officer sighed.

“The law requires an Alpha and Omega to establish a marital relationship before a permanent mark is permitted. That rule was originally created to protect an Omega’s interests before marriage.”

“But now…”

Jin Sique opened the door.

The chaotic situation had already been brought under control.

Lü Zhongcai waited to one side and cast her an indifferent glance.

There seemed to be no warmth in her eyes.

—

Inside the car, Zhang Zui continued talking endlessly.

“We’ll sue the university and the platforms first. Once that is approved, we can obtain the account’s real-name registration information through the proper legal channels…”

Lü Zhongcai rubbed her brow while reading documents.

Beside her, Jin Sique had already closed her eyes from exhaustion.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Zhang Zui continued, “Hey, did the two of you understand what happened back there? In my opinion, a simple lawsuit shouldn’t take this long…”

He turned around and saw that Jin Sique had fallen asleep.

He abruptly shut his mouth.

Zhang Zui handed over a blanket.

When Lü Zhongcai’s scrutinizing gaze landed on him, he gestured toward Jin Sique with his chin.

052 chuckled.

“Heh. Is the president really the kind of person who covers someone else with a blanket?”

Lü Zhongcai accepted it and awkwardly placed it across Jin Sique’s knees.

Jin Sique drowsily opened her eyes and looked at Lü Zhongcai in confusion.

Then she took the blanket, unfolded it, and placed it across Lü Zhongcai’s knees instead.

Zhang Zui snorted with laughter.

Lü Zhongcai: “…”

Jin Sique rubbed her eyes and asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Are you cold?”

“No,” Lü Zhongcai said coldly.

—

Fengyue Financial Tower.

“You aren’t returning to the university?” Lü Zhongcai asked.

Jin Sique pushed Lü Zhongcai into the private elevator for the president’s office.

“I’ll take you to your office first.”

The elevator was fast.

After only a few dozen seconds, it chimed and announced their arrival on the twenty-seventh floor.

Jin Sique pushed the wheelchair out.

Due to her lack of experience, she accidentally wedged one of its wheels into the gap between the elevator and the floor.

Lü Zhongcai: “…”

The wheelchair tipped forward, nearly throwing Lü Zhongcai from the seat.

The elevator doors repeatedly opened and closed, automatically opening wide again whenever they detected the wheelchair.

Zhang Zui poked his head out from behind them.

“Huh?”

Jin Sique froze and pushed slightly harder.

Under her force, the wheelchair tilted even farther forward.

To prevent herself from falling, Lü Zhongcai extended one hand and braced it against the doorframe.

From behind them, Zhang Zui said, “President Lü, Miss Jin can’t move the chair while you’re holding the door. Please release it.”

052 roared inside Lü Zhongcai’s mind, screaming about using a Gatling gun to blast Zhang Zui’s head apart.

Lü Zhongcai remained expressionless.

Only her lips had pressed into a straight line.

Jin Sique was also embarrassed.

“Lawyer Zhang, please help me.”

“Of course, of course,” Zhang Zui said.

“President Lü!”

The neighboring conference room door opened.

The executive assistant was escorting two partners out. When she saw Lü Zhongcai trapped in the elevator doorway, she immediately turned pale and rushed over.

Lu Baimei followed behind, flipping through two budget reports and whispering something to an investment manager beside her.

When the commotion attracted her attention, she instantly burst into laughter.

Zhang Zui directed them.

“It’s wedged too tightly. All right, listen to me. One, two, three—lift!”

Under Zhang Zui’s direction, Jin Sique pushed with all her strength, her face turning completely red from humiliation.

The executive assistant: “…”

Lü Zhongcai: “………………”

052 continued roaring wildly.

Lu Baimei laughed uncontrollably, repeatedly slapping the investment manager’s shoulder.

The investment manager was a Beta and physically weaker than an Alpha. The force knocked her directly against the doorframe.

After seeing Jin Sique off, Zhang Zui immediately went to the president’s office to apologize.

Lü Zhongcai kept the office access locked.

During that time, she instructed her executive assistant to contact the public relations department and remove all negative information concerning Jin Sique from the internet.

Zhang Zui waited outside the office for ten minutes before finally leaving in disappointment.

“Forgive me for speaking frankly.”

Lu Baimei struggled to suppress her laughter.

“The atmosphere between you and Miss Jin doesn’t resemble that of a harmonious married couple at all.”

Lü Zhongcai picked up the meeting materials from her desk, unlocked the office door, and moved forward in her wheelchair.

“There are many ways for partners to interact. She and I are different.”

052 said inside Lü Zhongcai’s mind, “What kind of partner is the black lotus? Your contractual marriage ends next winter. Only a year and a half remains.”

“Our objective is to destroy the black lotus! Make sure she can never recover! Write the victory of the villainous supporting character!”

“…”

Lu Baimei followed behind.

“She looked ready to cry earlier. Are you usually very harsh with her?”

Lü Zhongcai frowned.

The conference room door opened, revealing the Indian partners who had already been waiting for half an hour.

Lu Baimei instantly switched into professional mode and walked forward.

“Hi, Ace.”

—

Jin Sique stopped a taxi and waved goodbye to Lü Zhongcai’s driver.

She opened the door and sat inside, laughter in her voice.

“A University, please.”

The taxi driver switched on the meter.

Jin Sique propped her face against one hand and leaned beside the window.

No one knew what she was thinking, but the smile on her lips grew wider and wider until she covered her eyes and shook with laughter.

The taxi driver looked curiously into the rearview mirror and suddenly found it difficult to look away.

Jin Sique laughing freely resembled a rose blooming at the height of its beauty—radiant and dazzling, like a roaring bonfire whose sparks could infect anyone nearby.

A car behind them honked in warning.

The driver immediately returned to his senses.

Jin Sique leaned against the seat.

Her smile gradually calmed, and her expression became thoughtful.

“Lü Zhongcai…”

—

By the time the meeting ended, the sky was on the verge of darkness, and the sun had already set.

Surrounded by a crowd, Lü Zhongcai entered a five-star restaurant and entertained the Indian investors in a private room.

The atmosphere at dinner was less tense than during the afternoon meeting.

The Indian representative ate and drank while speaking English with a strong Indian accent, repeatedly teasing Lü Zhongcai across the table.

Lü Zhongcai occasionally smiled, but most of the time she merely raised her glass in acknowledgment.

Lu Baimei blocked most of the alcohol for her.

They continued drinking until late at night before finally leaving the restaurant in a drunken state.

“You truly work yourself to the bone.”

Lu Baimei leaned against the seat with all the windows lowered, allowing the wind to disperse the smell of alcohol.

“Your leg still hasn’t healed, has it?”

“I won’t need the wheelchair next month,” Lü Zhongcai said coldly.

“You’ll switch to crutches?”

Lu Baimei laughed and shook her head.

“Do you know what headquarters and the senior executives at the other branches are saying about you?”

“Other people cannot control my legs, and I cannot control their mouths,” Lü Zhongcai replied.

Lu Baimei patted her shoulder.

“You really are something.”

Lü Zhongcai instinctively leaned away.

Lu Baimei withdrew her hand and smiled ambiguously.

“Sorry. I’ve been drinking, so I’m having trouble controlling my scent.”

Lü Zhongcai raised her eyes and glanced at her.

“Unlike our dear president,” Lu Baimei continued. “Your self-control is astonishing. I can’t smell even the slightest trace of your pheromones.”

“By the way, what exactly do your pheromones smell like?”

“None of your business. None of your business,” 052 replied disdainfully.

Lü Zhongcai said nothing.

When they arrived at Jingwan Villa, Aunt Guo and the servants hurried out to receive them.

The executive assistant helped Lü Zhongcai from the car.

“Arrange a dinner engagement for the near future,” Lü Zhongcai said.

“Who will be invited?” the assistant asked.

“Chen Liezhong,” Lü Zhongcai replied.

“Yes. I’ll arrange it as soon as possible.”

—

The night was as cool as water.

Jin Sique left the practice room, carrying the faint fragrance of her recent shower.

She did not return to the university.

Instead, she waited beneath a streetlight outside the dance studio, hugging her knees and looking up at the moths throwing themselves toward the lamp.

Footsteps sounded behind her.

They approached from a distance before abruptly stopping on the steps several paces away.

“Sique?”

Fang Xiaohe’s voice trembled slightly.

Jin Sique raised her head and looked back.

Her hands were casually braced behind her. The warm yellow light fell across her bright face and slightly melancholy eyes, giving her the unreal quality of a figure inside a painting.

“You haven’t attended the university for several days. Did something happen?”

Jin Sique pushed herself up from the ground.

She looked down at her palms, casually dusted them off, and asked, “Do you have a tissue?”

Fang Xiaohe pressed her lips together and took a packet of wet wipes from the crossbody bag beside her.

She pulled one out and handed it to Jin Sique.

“Thank you.”

Jin Sique accepted it with a smile.

However, the moment she took the wipe, she abruptly grabbed Fang Xiaohe’s wrist and dragged her forward.

Fang Xiaohe stumbled several steps until she stood on the same level as Jin Sique.

They were so close that they could hear each other breathing.

When Fang Xiaohe met Jin Sique’s entirely humorless eyes, she instantly felt as though she had been suppressed by another of her kind and could no longer move.

“S-Sique, what are you trying to do?”

Fang Xiaohe stared at her in alarm.

Warmth returned to Jin Sique’s cold eyes.

She smiled and raised a hand above Fang Xiaohe’s head to compare their height.

“I only just realized that we’re almost the same height.”

Fang Xiaohe’s face turned pale.

She violently pulled free from Jin Sique and staggered backward several steps.

The wet wipe fell to the ground and became covered in dust.

Jin Sique did not appear bothered. She picked it up and slowly wiped her hands with the clean side.

Looking at Fang Xiaohe in confusion, she asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you reacting so strongly?”

Fang Xiaohe bit her lower lip tightly.

She pulled out another tissue and frantically wiped the place Jin Sique had touched.

She looked as though she were about to cry.

Jin Sique found it somewhat amusing.

“Would you like to find somewhere to sit and talk?”

“There’s no need.”

Fang Xiaohe avoided her.

“It’s too late. I need to go home.”

Jin Sique suddenly pointed at her.

“Your phone is ringing.”

Fang Xiaohe froze.

In an instant, she looked as though she were facing a deadly enemy. She hurriedly searched through her bag and pulled out her phone.

She stared at it blankly before looking at Jin Sique in disbelief.

Jin Sique’s smile remained as ordinary as ever.

“I thought I saw it light up. Strange—don’t you have your ringtone turned on?”

Fang Xiaohe glared at her furiously.

“What does that have to do with you?”

“You’re angry?”

Jin Sique studied Fang Xiaohe at leisure.

“Let’s talk.”

Fang Xiaohe ignored her and quickly walked around her toward the stairs.

“I don’t know why you did it,” Jin Sique called in a slightly raised voice. “But you can look at this.”

Fang Xiaohe stopped.

She tightly gripped the strap of her backpack and turned toward Jin Sique in fury.

Jin Sique handed her the item in her hand and tilted her head slightly, revealing a playful smile.

Under the streetlight, Fang Xiaohe gradually saw the contents of the paper.

It was the receipt issued by the police after the report was filed.

Fang Xiaohe’s fingers began to spasm.

Then her entire body started trembling.

“You… You…”

Jin Sique wore a hoodie and long casual trousers.

She shrugged, pulled up her hood, bent down to pick up the bag containing her practice clothes, and descended the long flight of steps several at a time.

“I’ll go home first. Good night,” she called brightly.

“Jin Sique!”

She had only taken a few steps when Fang Xiaohe’s nearly hysterical scream came from behind her.

“What gives you the right? What gives you the right!”

“You’re falsely accusing me!”

Fang Xiaohe violently tore the receipt apart.

“That was a photocopy,” Jin Sique said indifferently.

Fang Xiaohe braced her hands against her knees and stared at Jin Sique with bloodshot eyes.

“You have no evidence that I did it.”

“It’s only a matter of time and procedure,” Jin Sique replied.

Fang Xiaohe had already collapsed emotionally and began shouting furiously.

Jin Sique watched her coldly.

“How did you develop your hypersensitivity?”

It was as though someone had abruptly switched Fang Xiaohe off.

“Pheromone hypersensitivity,” Jin Sique continued. “I remember that it has many possible causes.”

“But whenever the condition is mentioned, society’s prejudices always direct people toward the most disgraceful explanation.”

“What are you trying to do?” Fang Xiaohe asked in a trembling voice.

Jin Sique looked at her indifferently.

Why had Xiaobai first suspected Fang Xiaohe?

It was not only because of the things she had mentioned.

As roommates living beneath the same roof every day, pheromone hypersensitivity was almost impossible to conceal.

Less than two months after beginning their first year, they had already formed various suspicions about Fang Xiaohe.

Not long afterward, unable to endure sharing a room with Omegas in heat, Fang Xiaohe had hurriedly moved away.

Jin Sique looked toward the empty shopping center entrance above the steps.

Only the colorful advertising signs flashed with dazzling light.

One of them belonged to the twenty-four-hour practice studio Jin Sique had just left.

She and Fang Xiaohe had been the last two people there.

“Whether it was Xiaobai, Wanqing, or me, none of us ever told anyone about your condition,” Jin Sique said.

“So what?” Fang Xiaohe sneered.

“You hate me. Why?”

Fang Xiaohe gritted her teeth.

“Because you’re clearly the same kind of person as me!”

“But why? Why can you always pretend that nothing happened?”

“Pretend that everyone likes you. Pretend to be so clean…”

“To be a clean little whore!”

“You’re a hypocrite! No matter how hypocritical you are, you’re still as filthy as I am!”

Under the night sky, the surroundings became unbearably empty and silent.

Emptiness and helplessness nearly enveloped Jin Sique once again.

A whore…

No matter how cleanly she pretended, she was still a whore.

—

“How many people have you been with?”

That was the first time Jin Sique attempted to seduce Lü Zhongcai.

Inside her rented room, she removed her faded T-shirt and jeans.

Her body was thin and underdeveloped, almost entirely lacking appeal.

Even her pheromones were weak because of malnutrition.

Biting her lip tightly, she approached Lü Zhongcai with the courage of someone offering herself as a sacrifice.

Lü Zhongcai sat on the filthy, wrinkled sofa inside the rented room, dressed in expensive clothing with a feminine cigarette held between her long fingers.

“How many people have you been with?”

“I-I haven’t…”

Jin Sique struggled to speak.

“If you don’t believe me, you can look at my gland… There aren’t any marks…”

Lü Zhongcai’s eyes were dark and unreadable.

She crooked one finger, gesturing for Jin Sique to come closer.