Chapter 20
“Let her go, and I’ll agree to anything.”
Yin Xue’s smile vanished. “You like her that much?” She gripped Xu Jinnan’s chin, forcing her to turn around, her lips inches from Xu Jinnan’s.
Listening to the commotion outside, Yin Xue let out a twisted laugh. “Anything?”
Xu Jinnan was on the verge of breaking, unable to speak, desperate to get away from this lunatic. Yin Xue yanked her hair back, forcing her head down.
Yin Xue had produced a small camera. A flash went off in the dim light, and Xu Jinnan squeezed her eyes shut. It was then that she saw her opportunity, kicking out hard.
Yin Xue, not expecting such force after two injections, doubled over in pain.
Xu Jinnan didn’t hesitate, snatching the camera and hitting Yin Xue with it…
When Shen Shu entered the room with the police, it was in chaos. The air was thick with perfume, alcohol, and a mixture of Alpha and Omega pheromones.
A faint, sunny scent lingered amongst the others.
Yin Xue lay unconscious on the floor, Cai Ying and Chen Xiaxia passed out on the sofa. Xu Jinnan was nowhere to be seen.
Shen Shu helped the police and paramedics load Cai Ying and Chen Xiaxia into the ambulance.
Cai Ying, less affected than Chen Xiaxia, despite her weakened state, managed a weak smile. “Seeing you is such a blessing.”
Shen Shu, her worry and anger giving way to amusement, asked, “Did you see Xu Jinnan?”
She leaned closer as Cai Ying gestured weakly.
“Yin Xue injected her twice. She said it was the same drug you were given. I saw her go into the bathroom. There’s a hidden door in there.” The drug finally took hold, and Cai Ying passed out.
A paramedic asked Shen Shu if she wanted to accompany them to the hospital, but she shook her head, looking back at the extravagant Emperor Hotel.
Xu Jinnan wasn’t answering her calls. She had a bad feeling.
Moments later, she saw the police cordoning off the area, evacuating the building. An officer told her, “You can’t go in. There’s a rutting Alpha inside.”
Shen Shu’s heart sank. Xu Jinnan is still inside. She’s an Omega…
Before, she’d wished for Xu Jinnan’s demise. But now, she couldn’t deny her concern. Xu Jinnan had come here for her.
“The Alpha might be my wife. She has a mental illness. If it’s her, I’m the only one who can calm her down.” This wasn’t enough to convince the officer. Shen Shu continued, “I can take a pheromone blocker and go in with your team.” A pheromone blocker would temporarily suppress her own scent and protect her from the Alpha’s pheromones. It only lasted for ten minutes and had adverse side effects, especially for women.
Shen Shu followed them inside. The hotel was eerily empty, music still playing faintly in some of the vacant rooms.
They’d been told the Alpha was on the top floor, but it turned out to be a man. The officers told Shen Shu to leave.
She nodded, then took the elevator down to the eighth floor, heading towards room 888, as instructed in the text message.
“Xu Jinnan?!”
Inside the room, images flashed silently on a large screen, the colored lights creating a dizzying effect. Shen Shu pulled out an Omega suppressant from her bag and walked towards the bathroom.
She opened the door.
The room was pitch black. As she reached for the light switch, a powerful wave of Alpha pheromones washed over her, sending a jolt through her body.
The pheromone blocker had worn off.
For a moment, she couldn’t breathe, a wave of panic washing over her.
Despite her mental resistance, her body yielded to the overwhelming Alpha pressure.
A figure emerged from the darkness, pinning her against the counter. It was a woman. She grasped Shen Shu’s hand, pressing it against the mirror, her other hand covering Shen Shu’s.
Shen Shu couldn’t move. She felt the woman’s breath on her neck, her fingers intertwining with Shen Shu’s…
Their hands were clasped together.
Like lovers.
It all happened so fast.
Then Shen Shu smelled the strong, sunny scent, and her mind went blank…
The Omega’s pheromones were intoxicating. Xu Jinnan, after calling Professor Qin from behind the hidden door, had passed out. But the sweet scent had roused her, triggering an instinctive reaction.
It was the primal Alpha instinct, amplified by the volatile state of her secondary differentiation.
An Alpha’s first rut was a terrifying thing.
Her eyes, adjusting to the darkness, fixed on the Omega’s smooth, pale neck. Possessiveness and desire surged through her veins. She opened her mouth—
Shen Shu, losing her composure, let out a soft gasp. She’d never experienced anything like this before.
Shame and fear washed over her.
“Xu Jinnan!” Her voice trembled, the words barely audible.
Xu Jinnan’s lips froze a hair’s breadth from Shen Shu’s skin. She opened her eyes, seeing her reflection in the mirror – a predatory beast looming over Shen Shu.
A flicker of awareness brought her back to her senses.
She let go abruptly, stumbling back and crashing against the tiled floor. She scrambled to her feet and fled.
…
Shen Shu was found by the police.
After dealing with the Alpha on the top floor, they’d detected another, more potent Alpha presence in the building. They’d found the room, but the Alpha was gone. Only Shen Shu remained, in the bathroom.
After a brief questioning, the officer asked, “Was that your wife?”
Shen Shu hesitated, then said, “I don’t know her.”
She wasn’t in heat. After splashing cold water on her face and resting for ten minutes, she gradually regained her composure. The sunny scent of Alpha pheromones still clung to her.
It had been too dark to see clearly; her senses had been overwhelmed. But she remembered that scent.
Xu Jinnan…
Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.
She saw Xu Jinnan’s name on the screen and took a deep breath.
“Hello?”
“Miss Shen, this is Professor Qin from the hospital.”
“Miss Shen, Xu Jinnan is with me now. She asked me to tell you that she heard you and the police outside, and to protect her identity, she left.”
“How is she?” Shen Shu asked.
“She was injected with two drugs. It’s a bit complicated, which is why I’m calling you. But don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”
Shen Shu was silent for a moment. “Thank you.”
“When did she arrive?” she asked.
“Half an hour ago,” Professor Qin replied.
Shen Shu stared at her phone as the screen went dark.
Half an hour ago. The person in the bathroom couldn’t have been Xu Jinnan.
But if it wasn’t her, why had she reacted to the name?
And the identical pheromone scent…
Cai Ying’s father was furious, vowing to make Yin Xue pay. Song Ronghui pleaded for leniency, but Lu Yun, upon hearing the news, issued a warning to both Yin Xue and the Song family.
For the next week, Shen Shu stayed at the hospital, caring for Cai Ying. Chen Xiaxia’s mother had taken her home.
During rounds, Shen Shu asked Cai Ying’s doctor about the identical pheromone scents.
“Identical pheromones are biologically impossible,” the doctor explained. “But with advancements in technology, it’s possible to alter the scent of pheromones, like cosmetic surgery.”
After the doctor left, Cai Ying, watching Shen Shu’s thoughtful expression, dismissed her doubts.
“I regained consciousness briefly. I heard that crazy Yin Xue say she knew Xu Jinnan was an Omega. They were together for so long; it must be true.”
It made sense, but Shen Shu couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
“I’m sorry you were dragged into this,” she said to Cai Ying. Yin Xue had done this because of Xu Jinnan, but Shen Shu felt responsible.
“Don’t mention it. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Xu Jinnan…” Cai Ying paused. “How is she?”
“She messaged this morning. She said she’s fine.”
“That’s surprising. You’re actually talking to her?”
Cai Ying’s eyes widened. “That’s surprising! You’re chatting? You don’t hate her anymore?”
Shen Shu: “…”
Cai Ying continued reluctantly, “I still hate her, but what she said to Yin Xue… made me see her in a slightly different light.” She held up her thumb and index finger, indicating a tiny amount.
Shen Shu chuckled. “What did she say?”
“Let her go, and I’ll agree to anything.”
Shen Shu paused, a strange feeling washing over her. From Cai Ying’s description, Xu Jinnan had been under the influence of two drugs, practically helpless.
No one had ever made such a sacrifice for her.
Cai Ying pursed her lips, offering a tentative theory. “I think… she might actually like you.”
Shen Shu: “…”
Cai Ying only knew that Xu Jinnan was an Omega, nothing else.
Shen Shu admired her imagination, urging her to rest. She went to the waiting area outside.
As if on cue, she received a WeChat message from Xu Jinnan.
Xu Jinnan: [When will you be home?]
She replied quickly: [Why?]
Xu Jinnan: [?]
Shen Shu: [?]
Xu Jinnan: [I figured out some new combinations for the box.]
“…”
Shen Shu scrolled through their recent chat history. They’d been talking more lately. She was almost… used to it.
Thinking about the question mark, she waited a few seconds before replying: [This afternoon]
As soon as she sent the message, a senior from her university drama club called.
“My dear Shen Shu, I desperately need a beautiful woman in a qipao. Interested in a cameo?”
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