Chapter 27 p2
The next morning was overcast, the temperature slightly cooler than usual.
Lu Yun had left early, sending Xu Jinnan a message at 7 a.m. saying she had something to attend to. Xu Jinnan was relieved. Seeing the remaining luggage in the bedroom, she left it with Zhou Pei, asking her to deliver it to the Xu residence.
Lu Yun’s visit had likely been about the Xu family business. Yesterday hadn’t gone well, and given Lu Yun’s doting nature, she probably wouldn’t pressure Xu Jinnan again for a while.
Xu Jinnan dropped Shen Shu off at the hospital.
“Professor Qin asked me to get a routine check-up. I’ll come find you later,” she said.
“No need if you’re busy,” Shen Shu replied.
“I’m not busy,” Xu Jinnan said firmly. “Go ahead. Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
As Xu Jinnan walked away, Shen Shu watched her, her gaze lingering on her slim waist accentuated by her high-waisted skirt. Just as she was about to turn around, she heard two people talking.
“That waist is amazing. She must be great in bed.”
“What if she’s an Omega? Oh my god, stop it. We’re in a hospital.”
Shen Shu turned and glanced at them.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, they looked over, and Shen Shu quickly turned away, entering the hospital.
“Wow, so many beautiful women in this hospital.”
“She looks familiar, don’t you think? An actress?”
Xu Jinnan had arranged for Shen Guotao to be transferred to the VIP ward.
His leg injury wasn’t serious. He had been driving home from work late at night, exhausted, and had run a red light, colliding with an electric scooter. Fortunately, he had swerved at the last moment, and the person on the scooter had only suffered minor injuries.
But his car had crashed into a steel barrier, the front severely damaged. He was lucky to have kept his leg.
Shen Guotao was resting. Wei Wuqing, her face pale, whispered, “This is supposed to be the VIP ward, but there’s no water, and no one has come to refill it. So inconsiderate. I need to tell Nannan. They’re not taking us seriously.”
Shen Shu frowned. “Refilling water isn’t their job. Don’t bother Xu Jinnan with such trivial matters.”
Wei Wuqing was dissatisfied with her tone, but remembering the real reason for their visit, she relented. “You’re right. We shouldn’t bother her with this.”
“Shu Shu, your father and I have been thinking about what happened. We were wrong. It’s just old-fashioned thinking, assuming our son would inherit the family business.”
Wei Wuqing sighed. “You’ve been doing a great job. You deserve a share of the Shen family’s assets. We feel terrible about how we treated you. We apologize, Shu Shu.”
The apple peel Shen Shu was peeling broke, and she bent down to pick it up. “It’s fine.”
“So, you forgive us?”
Shen Shu didn’t know how to respond.
Of course not, she thought.
She placed the peeled apple on the table and picked up the water pitcher. “I’m going to get some water.”
The waiting area was almost empty. The water dispenser was near the nurses’ station, and a fire exit was a few meters away.
As Shen Shu entered the water station, she heard a familiar name. She quietly closed the lid of the pitcher and walked out.
Just as she did, the fire exit door closed.
Song Ronghui sat on the stairs, lighting a cigarette.
She lowered her voice.
“I just saw her through the window. I heard her father-in-law is on this floor, so I’m taking the stairs down to avoid her.”
“That professor in charge of her is a sly one. I couldn’t get any information from him. I had to bribe a junior doctor to get a copy of her report, and it’s over two months old. They’re really good at keeping secrets.”
“Just like you said, she really is a dysfunctional Omega. Her pheromone level is 0…” Song Ronghui’s eyes gleamed. “No wonder I’ve never smelled her pheromones.”
Yin Xue’s voice came through the phone. “If it’s not recent, and not directly from Professor Qin, it’s fake.”
Song Ronghui exhaled a plume of smoke. “What are you trying to find out? You told me she was an Omega, then asked me to check her records. I did, but you still seem suspicious. Why?”
She deliberately raised the inflection of her voice, a hint of flirtation in her tone.
Yin Xue chuckled. “You’re right, I am suspicious. I’m certain Xu Jinnan is an Omega, but when she fainted that day, I smelled something else on her.”
“What?”
“Your Alpha… scent,” Yin Xue said, licking her lips. “And pheromones.”
Unfortunately, Xu Jinnan had knocked her unconscious, and the scent had been fleeting, so she needed Song Ronghui to investigate.
Hearing the sound of Yin Xue’s tongue, Song Ronghui paused.
After a moment, she said, “Isn’t there a Han family banquet in a few days? Whether she’s an Omega or an Alpha, we’ll find out then.”
When Xu Jinnan arrived at Shen Guotao’s ward after her check-up, Wei Wuqing was holding Shen Shu’s hand, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
Chen Xiaxia stood behind her, a hand on her shoulder.
They looked more like a loving family than Wei Wuqing and Shen Shu.
Seeing Xu Jinnan, Wei Wuqing immediately brightened and greeted her warmly, exchanging pleasantries with Shen Guotao, then pulled Chen Xiaxia forward.
“Perfect timing, Nannan. Besides our mishandling of the company incident, there’s something Xiaxia needs to apologize for.”
“What is it?” Xu Jinnan asked, leaning against the armrest of the sofa next to Shen Shu.
She glanced at Shen Shu, confirming she hadn’t been bullied, then said casually, “Actually, I’m more curious about why you’re making such a fuss.”
She discreetly sent Zhou Pei a message.
“Xiaxia, tell them yourself,” Wei Wuqing said.
Chen Xiaxia bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes before she could even speak. “I’m sorry. Someone told me that if I went with her for a while, she could make things difficult for my cousin and get my acting role back, so I… I went… I didn’t expect her to drug me…” She burst into tears.
“Who told you to go? Do you know her?” Xu Jinnan asked.
Chen Xiaxia shook her head. “No, I just heard the KTV staff call her Xiao Xue-jie. She gave me a drink, just one glass…”
She sobbed uncontrollably.
Xu Jinnan, usually sympathetic towards crying women, now found it irritating.
Wei Wuqing, sensing Xu Jinnan’s impatience, coughed discreetly, signaling Chen Xiaxia to stop crying. However, Chen Xiaxia misinterpreted the signal and continued.
“Jinnan-jie, thank you for helping me. If you hadn’t suppressed the news, my career would be ruined… Thank you. I’ll do anything for you…”
Her words were becoming increasingly inappropriate. Seeing Xu Jinnan’s expression, Wei Wuqing quickly stopped her.
Shen Shu was stunned. She had assumed the Cai family had suppressed the news, but it had been Xu Jinnan.
Xu Jinnan’s expression softened slightly, but she wasn’t completely convinced. “Actually, it had nothing to do with you. My actions depend entirely on Shu Shu.”
Wei Wuqing and Shen Guotao had played the emotional card, and Shen Shu had softened.
But Xu Jinnan wasn’t emotionally invested in them.
Wei Wuqing smiled awkwardly, then turned to Shen Shu. “Shu Shu, you’re so lucky to have such a loving wife. I can finally face your grandmother in the afterlife, knowing you’re well taken care of…”
Hearing the mention of her grandmother, Shen Shu’s eyelashes fluttered, hiding her sadness.
It was her only regret in this life.
Wei Wuqing, sensing Xu Jinnan’s displeasure, quickly changed the subject.
Just then, Xu Jinnan received a reply from Zhou Pei.
[Miss, the Shen family is experiencing financial difficulties and needs urgent capital turnover. Mr. and Mrs. Shen approached Mr. Xu, but he refused. They also contacted you a few days ago…]
She hadn’t met with them.
She remembered now.
Shen Shu had already left the Shen family; why would she bother meeting them?
So, after all this drama, it was still about money.
Xu Jinnan’s expression turned cold.
Wei Wuqing offered her a fruit platter, but she declined. Wei Wuqing then picked an orange and gave it to Chen Xiaxia.
Chen Xiaxia pouted. “Peeling this will make my hands smell.”
Wei Wuqing playfully rolled her eyes, peeling the orange and removing the white pith. “Spoiled brat.”
Shen Shu didn’t react, seemingly accustomed to this behavior.
“Shu Shu, have some too,” Wei Wuqing said, finally remembering her.
Shen Shu shook her head, but Wei Wuqing placed half the peeled orange in her hand.
Shen Shu held the orange, the coldness of the fruit seeping into her fingertips, then spreading through her body.
She didn’t eat oranges.
Never had.
“She doesn’t eat oranges,” Xu Jinnan said suddenly, taking the orange from Shen Shu’s hand.
She stood up and placed the orange back on the platter. “She’s picky. At home, I even have to peel her grapes.”
Wei Wuqing paused, looking at the fruit platter, sensing something was amiss.
Xu Jinnan didn’t say anything more, smoothing her dress and turning to Shen Shu. “It’s getting late. Don’t you have something to do?”
Shen Shu met her gaze. “Yes.”
Wei Wuqing followed them to the door, Chen Xiaxia trailing behind her. Watching the two beautiful women walk away side by side, her eyes welled up.
“Jinnan-jie used to like me,” she murmured.
Wei Wuqing patted her shoulder, frowning. “Don’t ever say that again! Have some sense!”
Chen Xiaxia’s tears started to fall. “Why am I so miserable? I’m not as good as my cousin in anything, and now even you don’t like me… I apologized, but you’re still asking her to help me get a role.”
Wei Wuqing sighed, wiping away her tears. “The important thing now is to resolve the company’s financial problems. I’ll talk to her later.”
“Will she agree to help me?”
“Don’t worry,” Wei Wuqing said confidently.
Her trump card, the elderly Mrs. Shen, had never failed her.
Shen Shu’s expression was calm, but Xu Jinnan knew the Shen family was weighing on her mind. With her personality, she probably wanted to be alone right now.
“Should I have Zhou Pei drive you home?”
“What about you?”
“My test results should be out. I’ll go check,” Xu Jinnan replied casually.
“I’ll go with you.”
“…Huh?”
Xu Jinnan hadn’t expected this response.
She checked her phone twice on the way to the hospital, noticing Shen Shu glancing at her each time. She quickly typed a message to Professor Qin.
Professor Qin looked surprised to see them together.
“Sorry, Miss Xu, I was just about to call you. There was a problem with your blood sample. The results might take another hour,” he said, recovering quickly.
“What a coincidence,” Shen Shu said, a faint smile playing on her lips, like a cool autumn rain. “There’s always a problem when I’m around.” Her tone was light, almost playful.
But Xu Jinnan felt a flicker of unease.
Once in the car, she checked her phone. Professor Qin had sent a message.
Professor Qin: [Miss Xu, I thought you were joking…]
Xu Jinnan stared at the message she had sent him: The goddess has arrived.
“…”
Xu Jinnan dropped Shen Shu off at her apartment building. Before opening the car door, Shen Shu turned to her. “Come up with me.”
Sensing she had something to say, Xu Jinnan agreed.
Instead of going upstairs, Shen Shu stopped by the flowerbeds. Perhaps due to the gloomy weather, there was no one around.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Jinnan asked softly.
Shen Shu looked up, meeting her gaze. “Xu Jinnan, are you an Omega, or an Alpha?”
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