Chapter 27 p1
When Xu Jinnan arrived, Lu Yun was sitting calmly on the sofa, sipping tea, but she reminded Xu Jinnan of those stereotypical evil mothers-in-law often portrayed on TV.
Shen Shu stood beside her, her expression as indifferent as ever.
Lu Yun greeted Xu Jinnan with a warm smile. “You’re back?” Then, her tone changed. “Go inside for a moment. I need to talk to my daughter.” This last part was directed at Shen Shu.
Xu Jinnan frowned instinctively. Did Shen Shu owe her something?
Just as she was about to speak, Shen Shu said, “I’m going out for a bit.”
As soon as Shen Shu left, Lu Yun gestured for Xu Jinnan to sit down, placing a thermal food container on her lap and opening it. The aroma of shrimp and scallop porridge filled the air.
Even though Xu Jinnan disliked Lu Yun, she couldn’t be completely indifferent.
“I personally picked these ingredients this afternoon. Do you like it? Eat this shrimp,” Lu Yun said, picking out a large shrimp, peeling it, and placing it in Xu Jinnan’s spoon. “Nannan, you always ignore my calls when you’re angry. I worry about you.”
“Zhou Pei answered,” Xu Jinnan replied.
For a moment, Lu Yun thought Xu Jinnan knew Zhou Pei was her informant, but then she dismissed the idea. “Talking to her isn’t the same as seeing you with my own eyes.”
Xu Jinnan put down her bowl. This was Shen Shu’s home, and she wasn’t comfortable with Lu Yun treating it like her own.
“I’m fine. You should go home,” she said.
“I’m staying here for a few days to take care of you. Professor Qin said you haven’t been well, and you looked so pale the other day. How can I not worry?”
Xu Jinnan insisted she didn’t need to be taken care of, but Lu Yun was determined to stay.
“Nannan, I always thought we had an unspoken understanding about this, so I never brought it up.” Lu Yun placed a hand on Xu Jinnan’s slightly warm wrist. “You’re doing well now, but remember, you’re entitled to a share of the Xu family’s assets. No one can change that. You can’t give it up for any reason, understand?”
It was good to be upfront. “Perhaps in the future, but right now, I’m not interested in fighting for the inheritance. I can take care of myself,” Xu Jinnan said, then added, “And my family.”
Lu Yun’s eyes narrowed, her grip tightening slightly. “Do you know what you’re saying? You’re not interested? Nannan, did that woman put you up to this?”
“It’s her, isn’t it? She abandoned the Shen family and stooped to becoming an actress because she has you and the Xu family as her backing. And now she’s trying to manipulate you too?”
“Enough. It has nothing to do with Shen Shu. I don’t need the Xu family’s money,” Xu Jinnan said, her patience wearing thin. These people always found reasons to resent and dislike Shen Shu.
If Shen Shu was truly using her as a safety net, as they claimed, why would she encourage her to abandon the Xu family? It didn’t make sense.
“The Xu family might be important to you, but I don’t need them.” Xu Jinnan touched her scent gland. Xu Tao had two other children he favored; there was no point in competing.
A loud bang echoed through the room as Lu Yun slammed her hand on the table.
“I can indulge you in everything, but not this. Absolutely not.”
Lu Yun’s eyes were bloodshot, tears welling up. “There’s no room for discussion. Even if you don’t want it, I’ll find a way for you to get it, because it’s what you deserve, what we deserve… Nannan, you’re my daughter. Just this once, listen to your mother, okay?”
What does she mean by “deserve”? Because she’s part of the Xu family, or does Lu Yun know something, something that makes her feel guilty?
Xu Jinnan leaned towards the latter.
A mother would know if her child had been hurt.
Perhaps noticing Xu Jinnan’s pale face, Lu Yun suddenly remembered her daughter’s mental instability and decided not to push her too hard.
“Nannan, are you tired? Finish your porridge. We’ll talk later.”
Shen Shu returned after receiving a call from Xu Jinnan.
“So, she’s really staying?”
Xu Jinnan closed the bedroom door behind her, sighing. “I’ll try to get her to leave tomorrow.”
“Can you?” Shen Shu asked gently. “You can’t just force her out.”
“I’m not that heartless,” Shen Shu replied.
No matter how much she disliked Lu Yun, she wouldn’t kick her out.
Xu Jinnan sensed a change in Shen Shu’s demeanor. They had had dinner together just a few days ago, and things had seemed fine. Now, she was back to being cold and distant.
Omega’s were difficult to understand.
Shen Shu went to prepare the guest room. Lu Yun walked in and immediately started criticizing. “What kind of blanket is this? It smells musty. When was the last time you aired it out? You can’t even do this much as a wife.”
Xu Jinnan’s eye twitched. Here we go, the classic mother-in-law routine – nitpicking.
“It’s a clean blanket,” Shen Shu said.
Only Cai Ying had ever stayed over, and they always shared Shen Shu’s bed. The guest room and spare blankets were rarely used.
Just as Lu Yun was about to retort, Xu Jinnan walked in and pulled Shen Shu aside. “Mom, I’ll have someone take you home. You won’t be comfortable here, and you might have trouble sleeping.”
“…Fine,” Lu Yun conceded.
“…”
Xu Jinnan led Shen Shu back to the bedroom.
They exchanged a look, both knowing they would be sharing the room tonight.
“Same rules as before. I’ll sleep on the floor,” Xu Jinnan said, preparing to lay out her blanket.
Unlike the Shen family villa, which had carpeted floors, Shen Shu’s apartment had cold, hard tiles. It would be uncomfortable without a thick mattress.
“There’s only one spare blanket,” Shen Shu said, retrieving a thin blanket from the closet. “Use this. It’s a bit thin, though.”
It was the one she usually used on the sofa, only 1.5 meters long.
“…” “It’s fine. I’m tough,” Xu Jinnan replied.
“Whether you’re tough or not, this is all there is.”
Xu Jinnan stopped, then moved closer to the bed. She hadn’t been far away to begin with, so she was now standing right next to Shen Shu.
Lowering her voice, she smiled. “Miss Shen, can I ask you something?”
Shen Shu, smelling her pheromones, shifted uncomfortably. “What?”
She rarely backed down during conversations, especially not in front of Xu Jinnan.
Xu Jinnan looked at her, then took a small step back, bending slightly so their eyes met. “Can we stop being awkward?” she asked with a smile.
She still didn’t know why Shen Shu was being cold, but she was afraid of making things worse by asking. Girls were like that.
The best approach was to be conciliatory.
“…I’m not being awkward,” Shen Shu replied.
“Really?”
Xu Jinnan’s expression softened, her eyes focused and gentle.
Is she in a good mood today, or something? Shen Shu wondered, then looked away and walked past her.
After resting in the guest room for a while, Lu Yun emerged to see Xu Jinnan working on her laptop. “Nannan, this place is too small. You should move.”
“It’s fine. It’s just the two of us,” Xu Jinnan replied, the implication clear.
“So, you’re saying it’s too small for three people?”
“Mom, why don’t you get some rest? Zhou Pei can take you home tomorrow,” Xu Jinnan said.
Lu Yun looked at her daughter. She looked the same, but her personality had changed. While she wasn’t as volatile as before, she felt… different, almost like a stranger.
She walked over and glanced at the laptop screen, which displayed sales data for the top three suppressant brands. “Nannan, are you interested in suppressant development?”
“Just browsing.”
“You’ve really grown up.”
I’m 26. Of course I’ve grown up.
After their earlier conversation, Xu Jinnan knew where this was going. She closed her laptop and rubbed her neck. “Mom, get some rest. I’m going to bed.”
At Shen Shu’s door, Xu Jinnan instinctively reached for the doorknob, then, remembering Lu Yun was watching, simply opened the door and walked in.
A flash of white greeted her.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
Shen Shu quickly pulled down her dress. “Why didn’t you knock?”
Xu Jinnan took a deep breath, turning her back to Shen Shu. “I didn’t expect you to be changing.”
“Lock the door next time.”
Shen Shu hadn’t expected Xu Jinnan to come in. She had been on the sofa the entire time.
“You can continue. I won’t look,” Xu Jinnan said.
Shen Shu’s bedroom had a small balcony, separated by a curtain, but the glass sliding door was open, and the faint sound of traffic drifted in.
Xu Jinnan stood with her back to Shen Shu, listening to the rustling of fabric, scratching her ear.
The blanket was indeed thin.
“…”
Xu Jinnan lay on the floor, the blanket covering only half her body, the rest exposed to the cool air. Only her head, resting on the pillow, felt warm.
She couldn’t sleep.
In fact, she felt wide awake. She touched the back of her neck.
Her scent gland felt tingly, and her heart was racing, but her skin felt normal.
She turned over, closing her eyes.
A sweet scent kept drifting into her nose. Her breathing became uneven, and after a few seconds, she took a deep breath.
She opened her eyes.
She lifted the blanket to her nose. It carried Shen Shu’s vanilla-honey scent.
At 10 p.m., the main lights went out, and the bedside lamp cast a cool glow on the ceiling.
The only sound in the quiet room was the occasional rustling of pages.
Shen Shu turned to look at the woman on the floor.
Xu Jinnan lay on her back, wearing her usual slip dress and a blue-gray silk robe, her long legs curled up beneath the small blanket.
I feel like I’m bullying her, Shen Shu thought.
Xu Jinnan stirred as her phone vibrated.
Shen Shu looked away from her bare feet peeking out from beneath the blanket.
Xu Jinnan picked up her phone.
It was a reply from Professor Qin.
Professor Qin: [It’s unlikely to be related to your rut. While the suppressants I gave you were trial versions, based on the data, a relapse so soon after being stabilized is rare, unless you were exposed to extreme stimuli.]
Professor Qin: [It’s likely due to increased Alpha hormone activity, which can be triggered by excitement, sexual arousal, deep kissing, skin contact, etc. The specific triggers vary from person to person.]
Xu Jinnan: “?”
She hadn’t done anything particularly exciting.
A sweet scent suddenly filled the air, followed by a faint tingling sensation.
Xu Jinnan: [What if there were no such triggers?]
Professor Qin: [Are you with Miss Shen?]
Xu Jinnan: [Yes]
Professor Qin: [Then it’s normal. I told you your pheromone compatibility is 99%. You’re both more sensitive to each other’s pheromones. You’re still in the Alpha hormone stabilization phase. Any physical contact within a three-meter radius can trigger your Alpha hormones.]
Xu Jinnan: “…”
Why did that sound so suggestive?
She asked why this hadn’t happened before.
Professor Qin: [This is rare, but there have been similar cases. Another secondary differentiator, like you, met someone with extremely high pheromone compatibility. Her reactions intensified over time, the closer she got to her girlfriend.]
As long as it wasn’t a rut, Xu Jinnan was relieved.
Being in the same room with Shen Shu, she had experienced firsthand how volatile her rut could be.
She replied, “Understood.”
Then, another message arrived.
Professor Qin: [Miss Xu, there’s one more thing I should remind you. As an Alpha and Omega couple living together, your heat cycles and ruts are like two ticking time bombs. And since your rut is unstable, it could be triggered at any time.]
Xu Jinnan’s heart sank as she read the last sentence.
She wasn’t comfortable with lying, and she felt guilty about keeping so many secrets from Shen Shu.
As she was thinking, she heard Shen Shu answer a phone call.
“Hello?”
“Is it serious?” Shen Shu paused. “I see.”
Xu Jinnan could only hear muffled sounds from the other end.
After about half a minute, Shen Shu sighed softly. “Which hospital? Okay, I’ll go tomorrow.”
“What happened?” Xu Jinnan asked, sitting up slightly.
Shen Shu hung up, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her face. “My father is in the hospital.”
“Is it serious?”
“He was in a car accident. He injured his leg.” Shen Shu’s voice was calm, betraying no emotion.
“Which hospital?”
“Rennan.”
The hospital funded by the Xu family, where Professor Qin worked. This was convenient. Xu Jinnan immediately called the hospital administrator, who quickly returned her call with an update.
Xu Jinnan relayed the information to Shen Shu. A fractured leg, but no permanent damage. He would be able to walk normally after a month of recovery.
Shen Shu nodded, her expression relaxing slightly.
Hearing Xu Jinnan make another call to arrange for additional care, Shen Shu whispered, “Thank you.”
Xu Jinnan put her phone on silent and lay back down. “Get some rest. I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
Shen Shu’s lips parted slightly. She looked at Xu Jinnan and wanted to say, “No need,” but the words wouldn’t come out.
After accepting her help, refusing her offer now would seem ungrateful.
At 11 p.m., Shen Shu turned off the bedside lamp.
The curtains weren’t fully drawn, and after her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the faint glow of the city lights.
Xu Jinnan shifted a few times, then stopped as she heard Shen Shu move on the bed.
Tomorrow, even if I have to be ruthless, I’ll get Lu Yun out of here, she thought.
The floor was hard and cold, and she couldn’t sleep.
“You.”
The word was sudden.
And brief.
Xu Jinnan wondered if she had imagined it.
She opened her eyes. “Me?”
“Sleep on the bed.”
“…Are you sure?”
“…”
In the darkness, Shen Shu’s lips pressed together.
The silence stretched on.
“Then I’m coming up?”
She wasn’t one to refuse a kind offer.
Besides, the floor was truly unbearable.
Xu Jinnan picked up her blanket and stood up. In the dim light, she saw the figure under the pink blanket shift to the right, making space for her.
Xu Jinnan lay down on the bed. She felt a warmth where their legs touched, spreading through the cotton sheets.
It was Shen Shu’s body heat.
A sweet, milky scent emanated from the blankets, filling the air and mingling with Xu Jinnan’s own scent.
She suddenly remembered she had used Shen Shu’s shower gel today.
The milk-scented one.
She sighed contentedly. The bed was much more comfortable.
Half an hour later, Xu Jinnan stared at the gap in the curtains, wide awake. She touched her tingling scent gland.
Even though they were under separate blankets, she was still lying next to a top-tier Omega.
And she was a healthy Alpha.
Not just any Alpha, but one whose hormones were in overdrive…
Her throat tightened, her skin itching, a restless energy coursing through her body.
The soft, fragrant bed was even more conducive to arousal than the hard floor.
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