Chapter 25
The restaurant was decorated in champagne hues. Song Ronghui, in a tight black off-the-shoulder dress, sat smoking in the VIP lounge outside the private dining rooms.
Chen Bo and his Omega companion lounged on a larger chair, practically putting on a live sex show.
“Can you go inside?” Song Ronghui asked, lighting another cigarette.
“Why? You didn’t bring anyone yourself, and now you can’t stand seeing others having fun?” Chen Bo grumbled. “You seem… agitated today.”
“Next time you plan on a marathon session, don’t ask me to arrange the next round,” Song Ronghui said.
Just then, the door to room 301 opened. Han Fu emerged, being carried by a curvy, dark-skinned woman. Her voice was hoarse, her flushed face almost matching her bright pink hair. “I can’t do this anymore. You guys go ahead.”
Song Ronghui cursed under her breath. Perhaps noticing her foul mood, Chen Bo got up.
“Let’s call a couple more. Han Wenfang’s been active lately… Let’s invite her. We can go somewhere else.”
“Hey, isn’t that the actress…?” Han Fu pointed to someone leaving a nearby room.
“It is. I went with Ronghui to offer her a drink earlier. She was in the room with us, right, Ronghui?” Chen Bo said.
Song Ronghui looked over, a thoughtful expression on her face.
After leaving the restaurant, Song Ronghui sat alone in her car, staring out at the city lights, a cigarette in her hand.
After a moment, she pulled out her phone.
“Hello?”
“Can I see her now?”
The call ended. Five minutes later, she received a reply: [Come.]
Two hours later, Song Ronghui entered a brightly lit room in Rongcheng Prison’s special ward. There were no windows, only a small vent in the ceiling.
A woman leaned back against the dark green metal bed, her curves accentuated by the blue prison uniform. She smiled seductively.
“You came?”
“Yes.” Song Ronghui’s gaze shifted from her face to her long hair. “Your hair’s grown.”
Yin Xue ran her fingers through her hair. “Come here,” she said.
Song Ronghui hesitated, then approached. Yin Xue leaned forward, resting her head on Song Ronghui’s stomach. “Ronghui, it’s so hard in here. Get me out of here, please?”
“Getting you a private cell and allowing me to visit you is already pushing the limits,” Song Ronghui said, her voice tight. “I’ll try to find a way, but it’s difficult. You could have messed with anyone else, even Cai Ying, and I could have protected you.” But she’d targeted not only Xu Jinnan’s new lover, but Xu Jinnan herself.
“Xu Jinnan won’t let me go? She’s truly ruthless.”
“It’s not her,” Song Ronghui replied. “It’s the Xu family.”
Specifically, Lu Yun.
She’d gone straight to the patriarch of the Xu family. If Song Ronghui interfered, it would jeopardize any future collaborations between the Xu and Song families.
“You know Xu Jinnan is their precious daughter. It’s complicated.”
Yin Xue chuckled. “Precious daughter? Fine, let’s talk about something else.”
Song Ronghui groaned, stopping Yin Xue’s wandering hands. “Don’t tease me.”
Yin Xue, looking bored, wiped her hand on her uniform. “Did you find anything?”
A hollowness settled in Song Ronghui’s chest. “Xu Jinnan is… strange. I can’t explain it. She’s Xu Jinnan, but she’s… different. That day at the cafe, she looked at me like she’d never seen me before. And tonight, it was the same feeling. Do you remember Xia Chun?”
“The name sounds familiar.”
“Xu Jinnan investigated her when she was targeting Shen Shu. But today, she acted like she didn’t know her. It wasn’t an act. She’s not good at hiding things. It’s like she’s a different person.”
Yin Xue’s eyes glinted in the artificial light. “Did she mention me?”
“No.”
“She’s almost forgotten me, hasn’t she?” A shadow crossed Yin Xue’s face, then she looked up at Song Ronghui and smiled. “Your family has shares in that specialized hospital in the South District, right? Bring me a copy of Xu Jinnan’s medical records next time.”
“What for?”
“I’ll tell you next time… If necessary, you can try working with Xu Li. She’ll help anyone who’s against Xu Jinnan. But she’s manipulative, so be careful. Just use her. Don’t tell her anything, understand?”
“You’ve dealt with her too?”
“We used each other.” Yin Xue’s expression hardened. “I never… had her. So be careful.” She traced circles on Song Ronghui’s skirt with her finger.
This time, Song Ronghui didn’t stop her. She took a deep breath. “We grew up together. Of course, I’ll help you.”
“Just because we grew up together?”
Song Ronghui looked at Yin Xue’s beautiful face, her head spinning. No, it wasn’t just that.
She wasn’t running a charity.
As she leaned in to kiss her, Yin Xue stopped her. “You know I don’t like kissing. Let’s do something else.”
“Darling Omega, want to play?”
Xu Jinnan’s voice echoed in the spacious bedroom.
Shen Shu froze, transported back to that terrifying night, when someone had dragged her into a room…
“Xu Jinnan…?” she whispered, trying to stay calm.
But Xu Jinnan didn’t seem to hear her, or notice her distress. Her arms were still wrapped around Shen Shu, pinning her against the suitcase.
Shen Shu trembled uncontrollably.
She felt unsafe.
She wasn’t sure if Xu Jinnan was just drunk, or… something else…
Xu Jinnan had said that person wouldn’t come back… but what if she had?
Xu Jinnan’s arms tightened slightly around Shen Shu, her touch gentle, almost hesitant, as if afraid of hurting her.
Then she spoke, her voice soft, almost like she was talking to herself.
“Why not play with me? Are you scared?”
She stopped moving, her chin resting on Shen Shu’s shoulder. She tossed the chain aside, then picked up a pair of toy handcuffs from the suitcase.
Before Shen Shu could react, a click echoed as one of her hands was cuffed.
Another click, and the other cuff was fastened to Xu Jinnan’s wrist.
“If you don’t play with me, you can’t leave.”
Her voice was suddenly childlike, laced with a petulant whine and a hint of… vulnerability.
Shen Shu even detected a note of… pleading.
There was no malice in her tone.
The sharp fear in Shen Shu’s heart subsided. Then she felt Xu Jinnan’s arms loosen.
The dampness of their skin, pressed together moments ago, was replaced by a welcome coolness.
Xu Jinnan collapsed onto the carpet, pulling Shen Shu down with her.
She saw Xu Jinnan curl up on the floor.
“Shen Shu,” she murmured, her voice so low that Shen Shu wasn’t sure she’d heard her name.
“What?”
Xu Jinnan’s brow was furrowed, her body curled up, her light brown curls damp with sweat, clinging to her face and neck.
“I don’t feel well.”
Her mind was hazy, her body and emotions on the verge of collapse.
She vaguely knew this was the precursor to a differentiation complication. Professor Qin had warned her that certain stimuli could trigger it.
Was it the alcohol?
In her current state, she couldn’t think clearly.
She instinctively wanted to warn Shen Shu to leave, but the words wouldn’t come.
Or perhaps she’d said them, but she couldn’t remember.
Hearing Xu Jinnan’s slurred words and the way she’d said her name, the fear in Shen Shu’s heart gave way to… concern.
She looked at the woman on the floor, a lump forming in her throat. For a moment, she’d thought… what if this was the old Xu Jinnan again…?
A shiver ran down her spine. She couldn’t bear to think about it.
Then came a wave of relief.
She exhaled, her body covered in a cold sweat, her T-shirt clinging to her skin.
Ignoring the discomfort, she searched the suitcase but couldn’t find the key to the handcuffs, or the suppressant Professor Qin had mentioned.
She looked towards the closet.
Xu Jinnan had so many bags; she seemed to carry a different one every time they met. Perhaps the suppressant was in another bag.
She looked at the unconscious woman on the floor, then at the handcuffs binding them together.
Her head was spinning. The closet was on the other side of the room. She pulled Xu Jinnan up, supporting her against her shoulder.
Xu Jinnan’s temperature was rising. The moment she felt Shen Shu’s cool skin, she leaned in, pressing her face against her shoulder, her cheek resting on the damp fabric of Shen Shu’s T-shirt.
Shen Shu stiffened.
She felt Xu Jinnan’s cool nose against her skin and shrugged uncomfortably.
“Shen Shu?”
Shen Shu paused. “Are you awake?”
“Am I heavy?”
“…”
“Yes.”
If she could unlock the handcuffs, she would have already thrown her off.
She was about to tell her to find the suppressant now that she was awake.
“But I’m not getting up,” Xu Jinnan mumbled.
“…Are you being difficult on purpose?” Shen Shu said, exasperated.
Xu Jinnan’s behavior seemed consistent with intoxication, but she remembered her having a high tolerance for alcohol.
She pushed aside the thought for now.
She opened the closet. There were only a few outfits inside, all dresses.
Shen Shu searched through the four handbags, finally finding a green container in the last one.
It was labeled with a special symbol: AOH.
And a line of small print: For restricted use only.
It was a suppressant she hadn’t seen before. An injection.
Shen Shu helped Xu Jinnan lie down on the floor, opened the container, and bent down, brushing Xu Jinnan’s long hair aside to expose the back of her neck.
As she touched her skin, Xu Jinnan stirred restlessly, as if she didn’t want to be touched.
But then she instinctively leaned into Shen Shu’s hand, nuzzling against it, her skin warm against Shen Shu’s cooler hand, which carried the faint scent of vanilla.
Afraid she would move again, Shen Shu pressed her hand firmly against Xu Jinnan’s neck.
As the needle went in, Xu Jinnan groaned. “…If I lose control, grab the knife.”
“…”
Shen Shu withdrew the needle, then paused. “You’re an Omega. What could you possibly do?”
Xu Jinnan didn’t reply.
As Shen Shu tried to help her up, she realized Xu Jinnan was clutching the hem of her shirt…
She sat down on the floor, too tired to lift her onto the bed.
Xu Jinnan couldn’t open her eyes. She knew she was dreaming, but she couldn’t wake up.
It was a kindergarten.
She was wearing a princess dress, her delicate features attracting a crowd of children, who complimented her and wanted to play with her.
She had many friends.
One of them, Xiao Shu, was her favorite.
Xiao Shu always wore the long dresses she liked, but she rarely smiled. So, Xu Jinnan would try to amuse her, bringing her toys, wanting to give her everything she had.
They became best friends.
…
One rainy day, puddles formed on the kindergarten playground, the raindrops creating ripples like tiny flowers.
After school, Xiao Shu was waiting for her parents at the gate. Xu Jinnan ran towards her, splashing through the puddles.
“I’ll walk you home,” she offered, grinning.
“Okay,” Xiao Shu replied, smiling back.
Then Xiao Shu’s smile faltered, as if she’d seen something frightening.
Xu Jinnan followed her gaze and looked down at her sleeve, soaked from the rain. Crimson blood seeped through the fabric, staining the white a pale pink.
She pulled up her sleeve, revealing several cuts of varying lengths, glistening with rainwater. “It’s fine,” she said. “They’ll heal soon.”
Xiao Shu didn’t let her walk her home that day.
…
On a sunny day, after being home with a fever for two days, Xu Jinnan decided to give Xiao Shu a present. She had a feeling Xiao Shu was being distant.
She found her by the slide in the playground.
Xiao Shu was talking to a few other children.
“The blood on her hands is scary. She’s like a ghost. I don’t want to talk to her anymore.”
“Xu Jinnan is really scary…”
“Xu Jinnan?”
Xu Jinnan opened her eyes, meeting Shen Shu’s gaze. Her vision cleared, but her mind was still trapped in the dream.
A heavy sadness settled over her, like a dark cloud.
Those were real memories, belonging to the original Xu Jinnan. She could even feel her pain and anguish.
Her voice was hoarse after a night of silence. “I think I understand now,” she said, remembering the last sentence on the back of the photo.
‘Want to play with me?’
It was the original Xu Jinnan’s childhood obsession, a fixation on the betrayal of her kindergarten friend – the first sign of her troubled mind.
Combined with the Xu family’s strange behavior…
Perhaps the original Xu Jinnan’s cruelty wasn’t simply a result of being spoiled, or her failed differentiation. Perhaps it stemmed from… abuse, or even trauma…
“Understand what?” Shen Shu asked.
The curtains were drawn, but she could see the pale light of dawn through the gaps.
Afraid Xu Jinnan would lose control again, she’d stayed awake for a while, then drifted off to sleep.
She’d been woken up by a tug on her wrist.
Seeing Xu Jinnan’s silence, she watched her for a few seconds.
“Understand…” Xu Jinnan started, then, a thought striking her, looked down at her wrist. She moved suddenly, the sudden tug on the handcuffs pulling Shen Shu towards her before she could react to the pain.
Shen Shu, caught off guard, fell against her.
Their lips brushed against each other.
A jolt went through Xu Jinnan.
…Seriously? First thing in the morning?
She quickly helped Shen Shu up.
Xu Jinnan stared at her, forgetting what she’d been about to say. She looked down at the handcuffs. “What’s this?” she asked, puzzled.
“?” Shen Shu replied, equally puzzled.
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