Chapter 58: The Omega Abandoned After a One-Night Stand (15)
Can’t wait?
Can’t wait for this meal, or can’t wait for…?
A little figure appeared on Chu Ruan’s shoulder, hands on her hips, head tilted back, shouting in her ear: Don’t overthink it! She’s definitely just afraid you’ll go back on your word, or she’s actually hungry, there’s no other possibility!
Right.
Shouldn’t overthink it.
Chu Ruan unconsciously nodded along with this inner voice, absentmindedly leading Su Mingxiu towards the dormitory building provided by the school. Only when they walked from the sunlight into the shade of the building did she realize how scorching the sun was today. Her cheeks were burning, prompting her to raise her hand to cool herself down.
But another hand, approaching from the side, was faster—
Even bathed in sunlight, the silk glove couldn’t retain any warmth. Now, blown by the cool breeze in the hallway, it brought a faint minty sweetness as it touched her cheek, making Chu Ruan shiver. Her clear eyes met those smiling, alluring eyes.
“Your face is hot, are you having a heatstroke?”
Su Mingxiu’s expression was full of concern.
Chu Ruan, however, instinctively took a step back, dodging her touch. She saw Su Mingxiu’s hand still suspended in mid-air, as if surprised by her reaction.
But before Chu Ruan could speak, Su Mingxiu calmly withdrew her hand, her expression unchanged. She said: “Sorry, I forgot you don’t like being touched by me.”
That’s not it!
Chu Ruan’s lips moved, wanting to explain, but even she couldn’t say why she had dodged. In those few seconds of hesitation, the person in the white suit had already looked away, her gaze sweeping over the hallway: “Which floor?”
“Third floor.”
The guest was the first to take a step, her long legs easily climbing two steps at a time, as if she had lived here for years.
Chu Ruan, lagging behind, followed absentmindedly, her gaze fixed on Su Mingxiu’s back. The spot on her cheek that had been touched felt cooler instead of warmer. She always felt hot, unconsciously raising her hand to pat and pinch her cheek, but even after entering the apartment, that side of her face felt even hotter, like it was burning.
She could only lower her head, using the act of handing Su Mingxiu slippers to hide her flustered state.
Su Mingxiu changed her shoes and was immediately drawn to the apartment’s decorations. The style was warm and cozy, the colors all rich and inviting. There was a lime green beanbag chair and a flamingo pink rug by the reading lamp.
The various colors, instead of clashing, were arranged harmoniously, turning this two-bedroom apartment into a welcoming nest, inviting one to linger.
“You… you sit down for a while, I’ll change and start cooking.”
“There’s food in the fridge, you can also see what you want to eat.”
After saying this, the Omega hurried towards her room. Closing the door behind her, she saw her flushed face in the full-length mirror beside her. Even the skin around her collarbone was tinged pink.
She leaned against the door weakly, not understanding why she was so embarrassed. Then, she smelled an even stronger floral fragrance, and the edge of the suppression collar on her neck turned a dark red. She was startled: “!”
Chu Ruan belatedly realized that she had been so busy with her students, grading papers, preparing lessons, and dealing with countless other tasks that she had forgotten to change her suppression collar. That’s why she had been so embarrassed again and again today.
Almost…
She had almost exposed that embarrassing side of herself to Su Mingxiu again.
The burning emotions in her heart were extinguished by this fear. Chu Ruan, who had been feeling hot all over, now felt her hands and feet turn cold. After sitting on the floor for a while to regain her strength, she got up and walked towards the wardrobe.
She first found a thin, short-sleeved T-shirt for lounging, then reached for a suppression collar. But her hand touched a stack of… gifts she had received before.
Chu Ruan’s fingers moved, picking up the stack of suppression tattoo stickers.
She knew she should put them down and get a suppression collar instead, but remembering Su Mingxiu’s apology earlier, she pursed her lips and opened the package.
***
“Creak.”
The old refrigerator door opened, the warm yellow light illuminating the neatly arranged food inside. There were green peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and other vegetables on the shelves, even the seasonings and eggs were placed in their designated compartments.
In the freezer were brand-name steaks, chicken legs, and so on. Everything looked organized, except…
Su Mingxiu pulled open the bottom drawer and saw a torn package with two plump dumplings spilling out.
A helpless smile appeared on her face. She felt that these dumplings were Chu Ruan’s favorite food.
So, when she heard the bedroom door open, she turned around politely and asked: “How about dumplings?”
Chu Ruan was about to grab an apron from the wall. Hearing this, she blinked, then quickly nodded. “Okay, what filling do you want?”
Su Mingxiu’s slender fingers rested on the edge of the freezer compartment. She was half-squatting in front of the refrigerator. Compared to the old, stained appliance, her suit was impeccably clean, making Chu Ruan feel a pang of shame. She shouldn’t have impulsively agreed to let Su Mingxiu come over.
But the other person only smiled, pointing at the half-eaten bag of frozen dumplings. “Don’t we have some ready-made ones?”
“No!”
Chu Ruan’s refusal was swift. Meeting Su Mingxiu’s gaze, she stammered out an explanation: “These aren’t nutritious.”
After a pause, her voice softened, as if lacking confidence. “My cooking… isn’t bad, don’t worry.”
Su Mingxiu didn’t speak.
She only stared at Chu Ruan, looking at the strands of hair falling around her face as she lowered her head, and the grey oversized T-shirt paired with her bun. She wondered what Chu Ruan had experienced in these past three years, how could she have become so…
So adorable.
Not hearing a response, Chu Ruan became anxious. She quickly put on the apron, walking towards Su Mingxiu as she tied it, wanting to pull her away from the refrigerator and prevent her from touching those dumplings again.
“Really.”
“Trust me!”
Su Mingxiu didn’t resist, stepping away from the refrigerator. Seeing her anxiousness, she raised her hands in surrender, chuckling. “Okay, I trust you.”
Hearing this, Chu Ruan was stunned, a faint blush appearing on her fair cheeks.
Then, as she was tying the neck strap of the apron, she got distracted and accidentally tied it too tight, forming a knot.
“Ugh…” Chu Ruan’s arm ached from trying to untie the knot.
She stood defeated in front of the open refrigerator, letting the cool air blow on her face. Then, as if remembering something, she took two steps towards Su Mingxiu, standing so close that their toes touched. She pointed at her neck and asked awkwardly: “I… accidentally tied the apron too tight, can you help me untie it?”
The Omega even lowered her head willingly.
Revealing her delicate, white nape.
As if unaware of the suggestive nature of her actions.
Especially now, with her height advantage, Su Mingxiu had a clear view of Chu Ruan’s nape. She saw a pure black lotus blooming on her skin, its petals seemingly even more delicate because of the slightly protruding vertebra of the slender Omega’s neck as she lowered her head.
A wicked black lotus on her snow-white skin, a tempting contrast.
Su Mingxiu’s eyelids twitched, but she didn’t act immediately. Instead, she asked politely: “Is that… inconvenient? I remember earlier—”
“I didn’t express myself clearly earlier.” Chu Ruan raised her head slightly to look at her. At such close range, the Omega’s upward gaze, coupled with her naturally pure and innocent face, would stir anyone’s heart. But she seemed completely oblivious or perhaps simply trusted the person before her too much. She maintained this posture and continued: “I don’t dislike being touched by you.”
If it weren’t for the sensitive location of her nape, where her gland was, she would have grabbed Su Mingxiu’s hand and made her touch it, proving that she truly didn’t hate her.
Su Mingxiu raised an eyebrow.
Her gaze lingered on Chu Ruan’s nape. The red string of the cheap apron pressed against the edge of the black lotus, creating a striking contrast against her luminous skin. She thought it was the most beautiful color combination in the entire room.
So she didn’t rush to break it. Instead, she slowly extended her hand, her cool fingertips brushing against the Omega’s nape.
Just a fleeting touch sent shivers down Chu Ruan’s spine. Her calves trembled involuntarily, but she forced herself to stay still. Just as she was struggling to maintain her composure, she heard a voice from above:
“Perhaps… it’s better not to, Teacher Chu.”
“Touching you here is a bit inappropriate. Where are your scissors? I’ll get them for you.”
Chu Ruan, who had been avoiding Su Mingxiu’s touch earlier, now, upon hearing these words, suddenly grabbed her hand. Raising her aching neck, she said in a soft voice, her eyes filled with an unconscious longing: “This is the only apron I have.”
There was even a hint of grievance in her voice.
—Because Su Mingxiu wasn’t willing to help her directly.
Su Mingxiu, facing this soft accusation, was speechless. She couldn’t understand why the person who wouldn’t let her touch her three years ago was now asking her to do so with such a coquettish tone.
It seemed she could never resist a cute, pleading child.
So Su Mingxiu gently moved her captured wrist and replied helplessly: “Alright.”
But she didn’t let Chu Ruan keep her head lowered. Instead, she supported her shoulder, making her turn around. Then, she reached out to untie the red string at the back of her neck.
The loose T-shirt, whether due to wear or design, had its shoulder straps slipping down. It wasn’t noticeable from the front, but when the Omega turned around, a large expanse of her fair back was revealed, especially the black lotus extending from her gland.
Back at the laboratory, Su Mingxiu had personally reviewed the design of this tattoo. Back then, she had only considered aesthetics, but she hadn’t expected it to have such an… effect on Chu Ruan.
She untied the knot absentmindedly. The two red strings fell, disappearing under the Omega’s shirt.
Hidden together with the stem and leaves of the black lotus.
***
“Sizzle!”
Twenty minutes later.
Chu Ruan, having retied her apron and prepared the ingredients, was silently reciting the steps for stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar. As she poured the water-soaked potato shreds into the hot oil, she saw the rising smoke and heard the sizzling sound. She instinctively took a few steps back.
And almost stepped on Su Mingxiu, who was leaning against the kitchen counter.
The Alpha quickly reached out and lightly caught her waist. But Chu Ruan, standing at this distance, was on tiptoe, peering into the wok, as if trying to assess the situation before deciding whether to approach.
Su Mingxiu chuckled softly and reminded her: “Teacher Chu, the food is about to burn.”
“Ah!” Chu Ruan quickly took two steps forward, her arm held high, carefully stirring the wok with a spatula. Her cautious movements made it seem like she was conducting a dangerous experiment rather than cooking.
Su Mingxiu looked at the band-aids on her fingers and sighed inwardly. She walked behind Chu Ruan, wanting to take over the spatula.
But the Omega unexpectedly held on tight, only tilting her head slightly, her gaze still fixed on the wok.
“Dr. Su, do you know how to cook?”
“Yes.” Su Mingxiu saw that her stir-frying movements were decent, confirming that she wouldn’t get injured and that the food wasn’t burning. She released her grip and took a step back. “I used to cook when I lived alone.”
After the shredded potatoes in the wok were coated in oil, Chu Ruan relaxed. Sensing that Su Mingxiu hadn’t left the kitchen, she racked her brains for a topic to talk about. Somehow, they started talking about the apartment she had rented before.
“That apartment was beautifully decorated. If it weren’t for the fact that my job is too far away, and it’s inconvenient to commute back and forth, and Jingui High School provides me with accommodation and meals, I wouldn’t have wanted to move out.”
“Oh?”
“But the property prices in Shanglinfang are too high. Even if I work hard from now on, I probably won’t be able to afford that apartment.”
Hearing the Omega’s sigh, Su Mingxiu lowered her eyes. After a long silence, she replied: “Really? Didn’t you try asking the landlord? Maybe… her price is different?”
“The market price is fixed—”
Chu Ruan wasn’t usually so talkative, but for some reason, perhaps because she was in a familiar environment, or perhaps because she had let down her guard around Su Mingxiu, she found it comfortable to chat with her. So she talked animatedly.
But she was so engrossed in their conversation that she almost forgot to add the seasonings. When she remembered, she quickly turned down the heat and rushed to get the salt.
Just as she was shaking the salt over the wok, she accidentally brushed her sleeve against it, sending it slipping down her shoulder.
Realizing this, Chu Ruan blushed slightly. But with a spatula in one hand and a bag of salt in the other, she couldn’t free her hands. She could only turn to Su Mingxiu and ask: “Can you help me pull up my sleeve?”
“Uh…” Su Mingxiu reached out and hooked the fabric back onto her shoulder. But she didn’t release her grip immediately. Instead, she asked with a smile: “I remember you used to be very wary of me, why are you so trusting now?”
Being reminded of her embarrassing past, Chu Ruan almost spilled all the salt. Thankfully, she managed to regain her composure in time, confirming that only a small amount had fallen into the wok. She let out a sigh of relief, then turned to Su Mingxiu and said: “Stop bringing up the past.”
Her clear eyes, as pure as spring water, now held a hint of amusement as she looked at Su Mingxiu. “You’re not interested in my type anyway, right?”
Su Mingxiu met her gaze for a few seconds.
Chu Ruan felt a surge of anxiety under her gaze, not even knowing what kind of answer she wanted to hear. Then, she saw the smile on Su Mingxiu’s lips deepen. Slowly, Su Mingxiu released her grip, letting the fabric fall back onto Chu Ruan’s shoulder.
—Wrong.
I’m very interested in you.
I even want to peel your skin and dismantle your bones, devour you whole.
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