The Poor Little Thing Was Brought Home by An Iceberg Omega - Chapter 4

A rainy night.

The downpour washed over the car windows.

An Qin pinned both of Shang Tinglan’s wrists, her marking fangs emerging as she lowered her head and bit into the gland.

Sweet, intoxicating Omega pheromones flooded her mouth, like an entire strawberry crushed between her lips, followed by the pure, fiery burn of strong liquor flowing down her throat.

It stirred up her possessiveness and desire for control.

Her Alpha pheromones surged madly into the Omega beneath her.

Shang Tinglan suddenly began trembling. She panted rapidly, low gasps spilling beside An Qin’s right ear as she struggled to force out two words. “Slower.”

An Qin did not know how much time passed before she felt Shang Tinglan wrap her arms around her waist and nestle softly into her embrace.

After being marked, an Omega’s dependence on the Alpha was impossible to control.

Gradually.

An Qin’s thoughts grew heavy, and her body went weak.

Her body slipped downward.

She collapsed into Shang Tinglan’s arms.

And lost consciousness.

·

“Miss An. Miss An.”

Someone was calling her softly.

An Qin’s eyes felt slightly swollen. She struggled to open them, her breathing weak and exhausted.

She stared blankly at the unfamiliar woman in front of her.

The woman had shoulder-length hair and wore a dark navy business suit. She was sitting beside An Qin, her head turned toward her.

“Hello, Miss An. I’m President Shang’s secretary. My name is Su Youlan. President Shang asked me to take you back to your hotel.”

An Qin was dazed.

Her gaze slowly shifted. She realized she was sitting in the back seat of a car with a blanket draped over her.

Then she saw the figure sitting in the front passenger seat.

A white blouse.

Hair pinned up.

Shang Tinglan.

All her memories came rushing back.

She had marked Shang Tinglan just now.

“President Shang…” An Qin looked toward the front.

“Don’t worry, Miss An. President Shang is fine. I’ll take you back to your hotel. Please come ride in my car,” Secretary Su said.

An Qin withdrew her gaze and unfastened her seat belt.

“Goodbye.” Shang Tinglan’s voice came from the front, very soft.

An Qin stepped down onto the water-streaked pavement.

The rain had already stopped.

“Goodbye, President Shang,” An Qin said softly.

·

At the door to the hotel room, Su Youlan handed An Qin a box of medicine.

“Miss An, once you get inside, please make sure you take a hot shower first. And this cold medicine—please be sure to take two tablets before bed.”

An Qin reached out and accepted it. “Thank you.”

“If you develop a fever or catch a cold tomorrow, please contact me.”

“…Okay.”

An Qin lowered her head and looked at the cold medicine, still somewhat dazed.

Shang Tinglan’s blanket was draped around her shoulders—the same blanket An Qin had used to wipe her sweat. A towel Secretary Su had given her rested over her hair, but her pants and shoes were still wet, leaving two dark patches of water on the carpet beneath her.

A few seconds later, An Qin suddenly came back to herself. She hurriedly removed the towel and blanket, folded them neatly, and held them out to Secretary Su. Halfway there, she pulled them back again. “I’ll wash them before returning them…”

“There’s no need to return them,” Su Youlan said evenly. “President Shang won’t care. You can keep them, Miss An.”

An Qin drew her hands back slightly.

She turned and took the room card from her bag. Her hands were trembling badly, and the instant she pulled it out, the card slipped to the floor.

“I’ll do it.” Su Youlan stopped An Qin from bending down, picked up the card herself, and stepped forward.

Holding the blanket and towel, An Qin instinctively took a step back.

Su Youlan looked at the drenched, badly shaken girl in front of her and let out a soft sigh. Her voice gentled. “Miss An, don’t think about what happened tonight anymore. Take a shower and get some sleep. Don’t forget the medicine.”

An Qin’s lashes trembled. She nodded, her voice slightly hoarse. “Okay. Thank you, Secretary Su.”

“You’re welcome. You saved President Shang tonight. If anything, I should be thanking you on behalf of the old madam.” After a pause, Su Youlan said, “Miss An, see you tomorrow.”

An Qin looked up in surprise.

Tomorrow?

Before she could ask, Su Youlan had already swiped the key card for her and pressed down the handle. The door opened a crack. She returned the card to An Qin and raised a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture, indicating that she should go inside.

An Qin nodded with her heart pounding and entered the room.

She carefully closed the door.

The instant it shut, An Qin’s legs went so weak they could no longer support her. Her back slid down against the door.

“Sister? Is that you?” Xiaoman asked sleepily.

“It’s me.” An Qin hurriedly stood up and steadied her voice. “Don’t worry. Go back to sleep. Sister is going to take a shower.”

An Qin opened the wardrobe, placed the towel, blanket, and cold medicine inside, then took out pajamas, underwear, and slippers.

“But didn’t you just shower earlier?” Xiaoman asked in confusion.

“…Sister got sweaty. Go to sleep.”

An Qin opened the bathroom door, went inside, locked it, and braced both hands against the sink as she took deep breaths.

She did not dare look up at herself in the mirror.

Her clothes and pants were plastered tightly to her body, making them difficult to remove. Her hands were still trembling, and she could not pull down the zipper of her jeans. It took several attempts before she finally managed it.

By the time she had taken everything off, An Qin’s eyes were already red.

She turned on the hot water and stood beneath the shower, letting the warm stream pour continuously over her wet hair, cheeks, and body.

She lowered her head and wrapped her arms around herself.

Her aunt’s curses, Xiaoman’s crying, Lin Lulu’s bitter voice, Shang Tinglan’s gasps—

All of those sounds echoed endlessly in her ears.

On her younger sister’s birthday.

She had ended up in such a miserable state.

An Qin stood under the shower for a long time. Only after her skin had grown hot and those voices had finally faded did she shut off the water.

Her skin had been washed red.

After showering, An Qin wiped the towel rack clean, then washed her clothes, the blanket, and the towel, wrung them out, and hung them up to dry.

She opened the bathroom door, left one hallway light on, and quietly walked over to Xiaoman.

Xiaoman was sleeping deeply, her cheeks rosy. The blanket had slipped down, leaving one thin arm outside, the crystal bracelet An Qin had given her still around her wrist.

An Qin bent down and gently stroked Xiaoman’s face, placed her slender arm back under the blanket, tucked her in, then sat at the bedside and quietly watched her in the dim hallway light.

She suddenly felt a little cold. Remembering the cold medicine, An Qin did not dare delay. She immediately got up, took out the medicine, opened a bottle of mineral water, and swallowed two tablets.

She had to take care of Xiaoman.

She could not afford to get sick.

Then she boiled some hot water and placed the mineral-water bottle in it. She did not have the energy to worry about what might happen when a plastic bottle came into contact with hot water. Once the water inside had warmed somewhat, she drank the entire bottle little by little.

Late at night, An Qin carefully climbed into bed. She was exhausted and sleepy, but she could not sleep yet. She picked up her charging phone, opened a rental app, and searched for places near the primary school, looking through photos and comparing prices.

As she searched, An Qin rubbed her swollen eyes. Her brows slowly drew together as thoughts of what had happened that night uncontrollably returned.

Why had her eyes been swollen?

She was a C-rank Alpha. Why had those people been suppressed by her pheromones until they fell to their knees?

She had marked Shang Tinglan.

Would Shang Tinglan retaliate against her?

Would she fire her?

The light from the phone screen illuminated An Qin’s face, and the crease between her brows did not ease for a long time.

·

The next morning, An Qin had no headache or sore throat, and the swelling around her eyes had gone down. Relieved that she had not fallen ill, she ate more cake with Xiaoman for breakfast.

The night before, she had divided the cake into portions, wrapped them in food-storage bags, and placed them in the refrigerator so it would not melt or absorb other smells. They could even have another serving tomorrow morning.

After breakfast, An Qin brought Xiaoman with her to a private tutoring session.

Her student was a middle schooler, and the parents were easygoing. They had agreed over WeChat that Xiaoman could sit in the living room and read.

After the tutoring session ended, An Qin took Xiaoman to lunch, then brought her along to her part-time job at a milk tea shop.

The manager was much harder to deal with, and the shop really was rather cramped. Customers and delivery riders often packed the aisle completely. An Qin had pleaded and negotiated over the phone for quite a while before the manager finally agreed to make an exception this once, though her tone had been very unpleasant.

At last, the day’s work ended. An Qin took Xiaoman to eat at a small roadside restaurant—one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and two bowls of rice.

“You’re eating too little. Have some more.” An Qin piled meat into Xiaoman’s bowl.

Xiaoman lowered her head. “I’m full.”

An Qin reached out and stroked Xiaoman’s head. “You saw Sister working and felt sorry for me?”

Xiaoman did not answer, lowering her face even further.

The milk tea shop had been crowded that afternoon. One customer had complained that the service was too slow and yelled at Sister.

Sister had kept apologizing.

Afterward, the manager had yelled at Sister too.

And Xiaoman could only watch.

There was nothing she could do.

Sister had such a hard life because of her.

“Silly.” An Qin pinched Xiaoman’s cheek.

“That’s just how service jobs are. It has nothing to do with you, and nothing to do with Sister either.” An Qin picked up a tissue and dabbed it against Xiaoman’s face, laughing softly. “Your sister doesn’t take things to heart at all. You need to be more thick-skinned too. People with big hearts are the ones who make big money and live long, healthy lives. Got it?”

Xiaoman turned away and wiped her tears. She knew acting this way would only make Sister worry more, so she swallowed her sadness, turned back around, and smiled. “Got it. I’ll remember. Sister, is Sister Lulu coming back to the hotel tonight?”

“Hmm, is she coming or not?” An Qin lowered her head and tapped at her phone. “Sister will ask. Someone’s still thinking about that birthday present.”

“Sister…” Xiaoman whined coquettishly.

An Qin smiled and raised her phone, searching Taobao for the price of the present. Once she had a rough idea, she decided she would buy one for Xiaoman from a shop near the school tomorrow.

Putting down her phone, An Qin propped her chin on both hands and looked at Xiaoman, pretending to sigh. “I won’t see your Sister Lulu until I go back to school tomorrow. Wait one more day, kiddo.”

Xiaoman nodded disappointedly.

But soon, Xiaoman smiled again and said earnestly, “Sister, I don’t actually want Sister Lulu’s present that badly. I just feel like… Sister Lulu likes you, and Sister Lulu likes me too, so all of us can be happy every day.”

Xiaoman’s eyes were full of mature understanding. “Really, Sister. Don’t ask Sister Lulu to give me a birthday present anymore. Otherwise I’ll feel like I owe her something. You and Sister Lulu dating is between the two of you. I don’t want Sister Lulu to have another burden.”

“You are not a burden,” An Qin said seriously.

“I know I’m not Sister’s burden, but I can’t become Sister Lulu’s burden.”

An Qin opened her mouth. She wanted to say many things, but in the end, she swallowed all of them and merely patted the back of Xiaoman’s hand, urging her to eat two more pieces of crispy sweet-and-sour pork.

After dinner, she pushed Xiaoman around the park for a walk before taking her back to the hotel.

She helped Xiaoman shower and did her leg rehabilitation exercises. Once everything was settled and Xiaoman was sitting on the bed reading, An Qin resumed searching for apartments.

While they had been walking through the park, she had made two phone calls, but neither had gone well.

An Qin searched for rentals on several different social media apps too, hoping she might get lucky and find somewhere suitable.

When her phone rang, An Qin was concentrating so hard on apartment listings that she jumped. Seeing it was a local number, she answered.

“Hello, Miss An. This is Secretary Su. We met yesterday.”

An Qin quickly gestured toward the door for Xiaoman, indicating that she was going outside to take the call. Xiaoman nodded and waved. An Qin picked up the spare room card, opened the door, and stepped into the hallway.

Her footsteps abruptly stopped.

Secretary Su was standing right there in the corridor, dressed in a dark business suit, her shoulder-length hair falling neatly straight, her phone held to her ear.

An Qin’s eyes widened. She hurriedly shut the door and walked over, lowering her voice. “Secretary Su, is something wrong?”

Su Youlan put away her phone and spoke respectfully. “Miss An, President Shang would like to see you. Please come with me. If it’s convenient, you may bring your younger sister along. If it isn’t, I can arrange for a young woman to stay here in the hallway and look after her. President Shang is at the Four Seasons Baiya Hotel by Chunjiang Riverside. It’s a ten-minute drive each way. Including the trip there and back and your conversation with President Shang, it should take approximately half an hour.”

An Qin gripped her phone tightly.

Her face had gone a little pale.

Su Youlan softened her voice. “Please don’t worry, Miss An. No one is going to make things difficult for you.”

“I…” An Qin paused, then said softly, “I’d like to bring my sister with me, but I don’t want her to hear my conversation with President Shang… Would that be okay?”

Su Youlan knew An Qin had spent the entire day with her younger sister and nodded understandingly. “Of course. Once we arrive, I’ll stay with your sister while she reads.”

·

The black sedan drove onto the Chunjiang River overpass. The city at night was bustling, its lights dazzling.

Night-cruise boats dotted the Chunjiang River.

There were traditional pleasure boats hung with lanterns and lavishly decorated three-story yachts, all moving slowly across the water.

Sitting beside An Qin, Xiaoman nervously held her hand tightly. “Sister…”

Sister had just told her that she had saved someone yesterday and was now going to meet that person.

But this car was so luxurious.

Xiaoman was scared.

An Qin gently patted her hand and coaxed softly, “Once we get there, just read your book. Su… Sister Su will stay with you. Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

“But…” An Xiaoman secretly glanced toward the front passenger seat.

She was a little scared of this Sister Su.

She looked like a school disciplinary director.

At that moment, Su Youlan turned around from the front passenger seat and gave Xiaoman an extremely warm and friendly smile. “Xiaoman, Sister is very well-read and excellent at telling stories.”

Both sisters stiffened at exactly the same time and gave awkward smiles.

After arriving at the underground parking garage of the Four Seasons Baiya Hotel, An Qin lifted Xiaoman into her wheelchair and pushed her after Secretary Su into the elevator.

They were going very high. The floor numbers kept changing, and Xiaoman stared up at them the entire way.

An Qin rested both hands on Xiaoman’s shoulders, her eyes lowered.

Thirty-second floor.

The innermost suite.

Heavy black double doors.

Su Youlan entered a code and pulled open the right-hand door.

Beyond it was a vast single-level suite decorated in an elegant classical style. Xiaoman had never even seen a home like this on her phone before.

There was no crystal chandelier in the living room. Instead, the high ceiling was made of wood, with strips of light embedded within it, the illumination flowing softly like water. An ink-wash landscape painting hung on the wall, its ink pale and delicate, depicting distant mountains and endless waters. Along the floor wound a narrow decorative pool, its surface shimmering as tiny goldfish swam through it.

The spacious living room was spotless, with a faint fragrance drifting through the air. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched the deep night, while their glass reflected the warm, gentle light inside.

Xiaoman lowered her eyes.

An Qin lowered hers too. She saw three pairs of slippers set out by the entrance. She crouched down to change Xiaoman’s shoes first, then changed her own. Afterward, she looked up at Secretary Su, who had remained outside, and said, “Xiaoman’s wheelchair might be inconvenient to bring inside. Can I carry her in?”

Su Youlan’s heart softened. “It’s fine. You can bring the wheelchair in.”

An Qin shook her head.

It was too clean in here.

The wheels would dirty the floor.

Su Youlan had no choice but to come inside and change shoes. She led An Qin farther in, held her fingers together, and gestured toward the sofa. “Would it be all right for Xiaoman to sit here?”

With her arms around Sister’s neck, Xiaoman nodded.

An Qin carried Xiaoman steadily over and set her on the sofa. Then she put down her backpack, took out two books along with the freshly washed blanket and towel. She placed the blanket and towel on the coffee table and handed the books to Xiaoman before bending down to stroke her face.

Xiaoman lifted her face and whispered, “Sister, go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

Su Youlan glanced at the blanket and towel on the coffee table, then stepped aside and gestured inward. “Miss An, President Shang is waiting for you in the study. It’s the room on the right farther inside. The door is open.”

With that, Su Youlan sat down beside Xiaoman and once again gave her a gentle smile. Resting her chin on one hand and tilting her head, she asked softly, “What kinds of books do you usually like, Xiaoman? Chat with Sister about them. Sister knows everything.”

Xiaoman: “…”

An Qin: “…”

The corner of An Qin’s lips curved slightly before she turned and walked farther inside.

Beneath her feet was a soft white carpet. Ancient paintings hung along both sides of the corridor, while Zen-style floral arrangements decorated the side tables. Green branches extended diagonally from celadon vases, each tipped with an unopened flower bud.

The study door stood open, warm light spilling from within onto the floor outside.

An Qin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then walked to the doorway and looked up.

It was a classical study. The bookshelves held ancient texts and porcelain vases, while brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were arranged on the desk.

Shang Tinglan stood leaning sideways against the floor-to-ceiling window with her arms folded, gold-rimmed glasses resting on her face as she looked down at the view outside.

The night beyond the windows and the warm light inside the study fell across her face, leaving one side illuminated and the other in shadow.

Her long hair was pinned up behind her head with a translucent jade hairpin.

She wore a white silk blouse and matching trousers. Her collar was slightly open, revealing the snow-white side of her neck, where a suppressant patch had been applied.

Hearing the footsteps, Shang Tinglan turned her gaze toward her.