Chapter 66 p2
The bedside lamp clicked off, plunging the room into darkness.
Xu Jinnan lay awake, her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, the same white ceiling with the same floral pattern as in the guest room.
An ordinary, unremarkable pattern.
After a while, she felt Shen Shu turn over, from her side to her back.
She couldn’t see her clearly in the darkness, but the image of Shen Shu’s face, the elegant curve of her profile, was vivid in her mind.
She knew Shen Shu was only here because she was worried about her, wanting to comfort her.
“I don’t know what you saw,” Shen Shu’s soft voice said, breaking the silence, “but it’s okay. The world is a strange place.”
“Xu Jinnan, it’s okay.”
“Is everything really okay?” Xu Jinnan asked, turning to her.
“Yes, everything is okay,” Shen Shu replied, their bodies separated by a small distance, the blankets a barrier between them, yet they could feel each other’s warm breath.
Like a feather brushing against their skin, a tingling sensation.
“Didn’t I tell you? You’re here for me, and I’m here for you. So, everything is okay,” Shen Shu said softly.
The world outside was silent, the rain having stopped.
Just like the weather, unpredictable, the bright sunshine of the day replaced by the darkness of the night, and then the rain.
“Are you still sad?” Shen Shu asked.
She had been sad when she returned, not because of the strange events, or the Xu family, but because of…
“No,” Xu Jinnan replied. “After Teacher Shen’s sacrifice, how can I still be sad?”
Shen Shu chuckled softly.
“Then should I sacrifice a little more?”
“What do you mean?” Xu Jinnan asked instinctively.
Shen Shu’s hand reached out from under the covers and gently touched Xu Jinnan’s, her voice like a gentle caress, a sweet temptation. “Hold my hand.”
Xu Jinnan suspected Shen Shu had been taking lessons in seduction.
She slipped her hand out from under the covers and took Shen Shu’s hand, turning it over and lacing their fingers together, their palms touching.
“Good night, Teacher Xu,” Shen Shu whispered.
“Good night, Teacher Shen,” Xu Jinnan replied, mimicking her tone.
Shen Shu’s lips curved into a faint smile, her attention focused on their joined hands.
Her own hands were well-cared for, beautiful for an Omega, but compared to Xu Jinnan’s, they seemed almost… ordinary.
Xu Jinnan’s hands were soft and delicate, her fingers long and slender.
Jade fingers, a single touch can melt your heart – she had heard that description of Xu Jinnan before and had dismissed it as mere flirtation.
Now, she understood.
Shen Shu’s fingers unconsciously brushed against Xu Jinnan’s, the movement barely perceptible, yet she felt Xu Jinnan’s hand tense slightly.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She did it again, her fingers gently caressing Xu Jinnan’s palm.
Xu Jinnan’s fingers tightened instinctively.
“Why are you moving your hand?” Shen Shu asked.
“Naughty…” Xu Jinnan began, then corrected herself. “Even fairies shouldn’t make false accusations. Who moved their hand?”
Shen Shu bit her lip, a playful glint in her eyes.
“You did,” she whispered.
“I didn’t.”
As they continued their playful banter, Xu Jinnan’s grip tightened slightly, like a cat gently holding onto a toy.
“Be careful, or you won’t be able to get up tomorrow. Go to sleep,” she murmured, her voice slightly husky.
Shen Shu’s soft touch, her playful tone, was stirring something within her.
But she couldn’t.
Not yet. Besides the rut, she didn’t know what other surprises this body held.
In the quiet room, their breathing gradually evened out.
The exhaustion of the day faded as they drifted off to sleep, their dreams peaceful and undisturbed.
—
Shen Shu woke up feeling a weight on her legs, her arm pinned beneath her, something warm and solid pressed against her back.
The familiar scent of Xu Jinnan’s pheromones and her warm breath on her forehead made her open her eyes.
Xu Jinnan’s pale neck was inches from her face, and Shen Shu’s breath hitched. She was nestled in Xu Jinnan’s arms, her own arm bent awkwardly beneath her, their bodies not quite touching, but their legs intertwined.
Xu Jinnan wasn’t wearing her pajamas, just her slip dress, the straps still intact.
But as Shen Shu’s gaze drifted downwards, her face flushed.
The warmth of Xu Jinnan’s body and the scent of her pheromones made her skin tingle, and she instinctively shifted slightly, eliciting a soft groan from Xu Jinnan.
The sound, low and husky, sent a shiver down Shen Shu’s spine, her heart pounding.
She froze, suddenly remembering crawling into Xu Jinnan’s bed last night, the memory of their close proximity, the warmth of her breath on her skin, making her blush even deeper.
She looked away, her gaze lingering on Xu Jinnan’s neck, then slowly moving upwards…
Xu Jinnan was fast asleep, her breathing even and undisturbed, except for that one soft moan.
Shen Shu’s forehead brushed against Xu Jinnan’s chin as she looked at her face.
Xu Jinnan was a restless sleeper, but her sleeping face was surprisingly serene, almost childlike.
Childlike.
The word seemed completely at odds with Xu Jinnan’s usual demeanor.
But this was the real Xu Jinnan, unguarded and vulnerable.
Shen Shu’s gaze lingered on her closed eyes, then traced the delicate line of her nose, finally resting on her lips.
For some reason, they always looked softer and more inviting in the morning, like rose petals, tempting her to…
Shen Shu’s lips parted slightly.
She glanced at Xu Jinnan’s closed eyes, then, her gaze returning to her lips, she leaned in and gently kissed them.
As she pulled away, she felt Xu Jinnan’s breath hitch, her eyes fluttering open, their depths dark and bloodshot.
Xu Jinnan blinked, her gaze clearing.
Did I crawl into her bed again?
She glanced down, but it seemed to be her own blanket.
But she was definitely holding Shen Shu…
A few seconds of silence followed.
“…Morning?” Xu Jinnan said, her voice husky, her hand still holding Shen Shu’s.
Shen Shu, flustered by her own boldness, instinctively pulled away, her face burning.
“Time to get up,” she said, her voice calm, though her cheeks were still flushed.
Xu Jinnan: “…Oh, okay.”
As Shen Shu left the room, taking the blanket with her, Xu Jinnan felt a sudden chill, her lips tingling, her earlobes warm.
—
It was 9 a.m.
Xu Jinnan had an appointment with Professor Qin, so she didn’t go with Shen Shu.
Tong Jia had arrived early in the van to pick Shen Shu up, who had fallen asleep during the drive.
As the car stopped at a red light, Shen Shu woke up.
“Didn’t sleep well?” Tong Jia asked, glancing at her.
Shen Shu nodded. “Not really.”
“Oh~” Tong Jia said, drawing out the word, then lowered her voice. “Teacher Xu doesn’t look well either. You two should pace yourselves.”
Normally, Shen Shu wouldn’t respond to such teasing, but today, she surprised Tong Jia by retorting, “Are you jealous?”
Tong Jia: “…?”
“Jealous as hell! Happy now? Little Cai was right. You disgusting lovebirds,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “Actually, Little Cai was bragging about Teacher Han last night, and I almost couldn’t sleep. You’re both disgusting lovebirds.”
Shen Shu, amused by her tone, smiled faintly and looked out the window, her gaze stopping on a nearby cafe.
As the car drove past, she looked back.
“What’s wrong?” Tong Jia asked.
“Zhou Pei.”
“Oh, I’ve been seeing Viola more often than her lately,” Tong Jia said, noticing Shen Shu’s strange expression. “Why are you looking at her like that?”
Shen Shu shook her head.
She wasn’t sure if she had seen correctly.
The person sitting opposite Zhou Pei had looked like… Xu Li.
Perhaps she had been mistaken.
—
Meanwhile, Xu Jinnan had arrived at the hospital and was undergoing a full check-up, as instructed by Professor Qin.
“You said you would destroy all my brain scans along with the other reports. But you must have seen them, right?” she asked. Professor Qin had said Lu Yun had requested the reports be destroyed.
She was worried there might be something else wrong with her, some other underlying condition or mental illness. While she hadn’t experienced any further episodes since arriving in this world, she was still concerned.
Professor Qin paused, then nodded. “Of course.”
“Was there anything unusual?”
“If there was, I would have told you,” he replied, puzzled.
“Do you have all my records here?”
“No, I don’t have access to everything. Only what you’ve authorized,” he said with a smile.
After all, this was the Xu family’s hospital, and he was just an employee. He couldn’t access records without authorization, just like other doctors couldn’t access his patients’ records without his consent.
Xu Jinnan understood. She would have to access her complete medical history.
“If you authorize me, I can access everything, but it might take a day or two,” he said.
Xu Jinnan nodded.
A few minutes later, her test results were ready, and Professor Qin, after reviewing them, frowned. “Strange. Your Alpha pheromone levels are very high. Have you noticed anything unusual lately? They should have stabilized by now…”
Xu Jinnan touched her scent gland. “They were stable for a while, but lately, I’ve been feeling it again, the same tingling sensation, but not as intense.” It was within a tolerable range.
But it made her anxious.
Professor Qin pondered. “It’s rare for a secondary differentiator’s pheromone levels to remain unstable for so long. We’ll run another test in a few days. Just monitor your symptoms for now.”
“Okay,” Xu Jinnan replied, then paused. “It seems to be more noticeable when I’m around my wife.”
“Try to limit your contact with her and see if it improves. Normally, at this stage, increased contact should help to stabilize your pheromones, but your case is unusual… Unstable pheromones increase the risk of a rut. Just be careful for the next few days,” Professor Qin advised.
Xu Jinnan didn’t say anything more, leaving the hospital and going straight to the North District, spending the rest of the day there with Viola, the events of last night temporarily forgotten.
But during a break, she gave Chen Yue a list of names to investigate – the ones from the photo, the ones listed alongside Lu Yun.
With names, there was a chance of finding something. She now had a general idea of what the Xu family was doing, but since the original Xu Jinnan had been discovered investigating them, she had to be more discreet, using indirect methods.
She suddenly remembered Li Laijia.
She could also be a breakthrough. She added her name to the list for Chen Yue.
—
It was past 7 p.m. when she finally left the North District, exhausted.
Shen Shu had messaged her, saying she had finished filming early and was waiting for her to have dinner together.
As she drove home, she thought about Professor Qin’s advice to limit their contact… Last night had been an exception; Shen Shu wouldn’t be coming to her room tonight. It was best to sleep in separate rooms for the next few days.
But then, she remembered the pleasant feeling of waking up beside Shen Shu.
As she opened the apartment door, she heard Cai Ying’s cheerful voice.
“Xu Jinnan! I’m here!”
Xu Jinnan: “…”
Shen Shu emerged from the kitchen, her voice calm. “She’s staying over tonight,” she said, the same way she always did when Cai Ying visited.
Xu Jinnan: “…Alright.”
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