Chapter 50: Fallen in Love!
November 16, 167 New Calendar, Xi He City, sunny.
Sunlight fell on the distant mountains, like amber honey flowing from a honeycomb.
After finishing her morning classes, Ming Fei drove home, changed into a light jacket and trousers, and helped Ming Zaozao change as well.
The two home intelligent robots bid them farewell, and Ming Zaozao, dressed in a brown bear outfit, waved goodbye to 008 and 0619.
Twenty minutes passed in a blink of an eye.
The self-driving car arrived at its destination, and Ming Zaozao excitedly ran towards Li Xing, the little bear ears on her hat trembling in the wind as she ran. Ming Fei followed a few steps behind, her all-black attire less gentle, more like the sharp edges of a steep cliff.
Li Xing picked up Ming Zaozao with a smile on her face.
“Although I haven’t exercised in a long time, climbing Green Jade Mountain is still no problem. Zaozao, Auntie Xing can carry you all the way up.”
Ming Zaozao laughed, revealing two sweet dimples.
She asked, “Really?”
Li Xing, wearing an orange jacket, nodded: “Of course, otherwise, how could we bear to let our precious Zaozao climb the mountain?”
Hearing this, Ming Fei, walking on the right, also responded: “Mm, the path on Green Jade Mountain is gentle, the difficulty is very low.”
In fact, Green Jade Mountain was ranked last in difficulty among all the mountains in Xi He City. Even beginner hikers wouldn’t find it challenging. Therefore, the citizens of Xi He City jokingly called it “Children’s Mountain,” meaning it was more suitable for leisurely walks and not for challenging climbs.
Since transmigrating, Ming Fei had climbed many challenging and dangerous mountains. This was her first time on Green Jade Mountain, and her intention was self-evident.
She looked at the scenery of Green Jade Mountain and, after confirming with the staff that there were no obstacles or steps, helped Ming Zaozao put on her safety gear.
Ming Fei lowered her head and said softly, “Zaozao, tell Mommy if you get tired.”
Ming Zaozao replied crisply, “Okay!”
The weather was fine today, much warmer than the previous week. After putting on her safety gear, Ming Zaozao got down from Li Xing’s arms. The two adults walked on either side of her. To make it more fun for Ming Zaozao, Ming Fei even hired a hiking robot.
This public hiking robot looked like a car. Not only would it explain the history of Green Jade Mountain to hikers, but it could also transform into a small hiking car when the hikers got tired, taking them to any location on Green Jade Mountain according to the set destination.
Because the rental fee was high, and Green Jade Mountain wasn’t difficult to climb, very few people rented it. Ming Fei was the first customer to rent a hiking robot in two months.
Ming Zaozao walked up the mountain energetically, occasionally hopping a few steps, seemingly without any effort.
Li Xing, walking next to her, suddenly said, “Teacher Xiao Fei, that watch you’re wearing is quite unique.”
Ming Fei glanced at the pheromone bracelet on her wrist and tried to change the subject with a vague answer.
“Mm, has your academy started the voting yet?”
Li Xing took a big step: “It starts tonight. I guess Associate Professor Li will be the winner this time.”
This was just to divert Li Xing’s attention. Ming Fei wasn’t interested in the new round of voting for the most popular teacher, joking,
“Then I should be the one with the lowest votes in our academy.”
Li Xing patted her shoulder: “Don’t joke with me, the students in your academy all like you very much, they’re very protective of you on the public network. Don’t worry about the voting results, because the teachers who get the most votes are those participating in the new round of elections. The students know that this indicator is important to them, so they will prioritize voting for them.”
Ming Fei, who never participated in the elections, finally understood the reason for the voting rankings.
“So that’s how it is.”
Li Xing continued, “Yeah, didn’t you know?”
Ming Fei shook her head seriously: “I really didn’t know.”
“Okay, maybe it’s because you never pay attention to these things.” Li Xing then asked, “By the way, is Chief Judge Zhu back yet?”
Ming Fei shook her head again: “Not yet.”
The sun was shining, and the mountain scenery was beautiful. Li Xing sighed, “Chief Judge Zhu was simply radiating charisma at the sentencing hearing in Silla! And both Executive Min and Executive Lan attended the hearing!”
The sentencing hearing in Silla lasted three days, and the topics of Bai He’s sentence, Chief Judge Zhu, and the former Victory Column were trending on the public network for three whole days.
Ming Fei had watched every session of the sentencing hearing during these three days.
She watched Zhu Yiqiao and the others go back and forth with the Silla higher-ups, watched her uncompromising and unyielding stance in every session, and watched every brilliant confrontation and perfect moment of hers during these three days.
Her gaze was completely captivated by Zhu Yiqiao, unable to look away. Only when the camera switched to other speakers would she be distracted by other things.
It had been almost two days since the sentencing hearing ended, and she still hadn’t received any news of Zhu Yiqiao’s return.
Zhu Yiqiao hadn’t even contacted her during these two days.
Ming Zaozao energetically climbed halfway up the mountain, taking the hiking robot for the last leg. On the way down, she fell asleep in Ming Fei’s arms, and Ming Fei carried her all the way down.
After saying goodbye at the foot of the mountain, Ming Fei took Ming Zaozao back to the villa in the self-driving car.
Ming Zaozao slept soundly all the way, only waking up when they arrived at the villa.
“Mommy~”
“Mm?”
“Baby dreamed that Mommy learned magic!”
Ming Fei smiled and asked, “What kind of magic?”
Ming Zaozao tried hard to remember and finally recalled the answer after dinner. She put down the toy in her hand, ran to Ming Fei, and said in a childish voice,
“It’s the magic of turning into a little bunny!”
Ming Zaozao gave this magic a name: “Bunny Magic!”
Ming Fei chuckled at this whimsical idea: “Okay, Bunny Magic.”
After saying the name of the magic, Ming Zaozao also described her dream to Ming Fei. Ming Fei listened attentively until 008 came to call Ming Zaozao for her “patrol,” and Ming Zaozao, transformed into a little police officer, waved goodbye to Ming Fei.
At 9:10 pm, the villa was bathed in the darkness of night. Half an hour later, a silver hovercar drove into the villa.
And at this moment—
Ming Fei was washing up in the bathroom.
She soaked in the bathtub for a while, her whole body warm. After putting on her pajamas and walking to the mirror, she checked her gland again, confirming that it was no different than usual, before leaving the bathroom to dry her wet hair.
Perhaps because she had climbed a mountain in the afternoon, she wasn’t sleepy at all.
Tossing and turning without falling asleep, Ming Fei got out of bed and went to the study, picking up a classic literary work to read. Just as she was becoming immersed in the story, her phone beside her beeped with a new message notification.
Ming Fei, deeply engrossed in her reading, reached for her phone without taking her eyes off the page.
Until the message on the display screen came into view.
[Chief Judge Zhu: Not asleep yet?]
Ming Fei put down the book, a question mark popping up in her mind.
How did Zhu Yiqiao know she wasn’t asleep yet?
Had she just checked the villa’s surveillance?
The puzzled Ming Fei typed a reply.
[Mm.]
[What is Jiejie doing?]
The reply was very quick.
[Zhu Yiqiao: Waiting for you.]
[Zhu Yiqiao: Are you free to come to the main hall on the third floor now?]
Ming Fei stood up abruptly, almost knocking over the book.
Eh?!
Zhu Yiqiao was back?
She didn’t reply whether she was free or not, directly pushing the door open. Just as she was about to head to the main hall on the third floor, she turned and went to the craft room to get the finished Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum.
The main hall on the third floor was brightly lit. As soon as Ming Fei reached the corridor, she saw the figure on the sofa.
Some unpleasant memories surfaced.
Ming Fei remembered the night she first came to the third floor. Zhu Yiqiao had also been sitting on the sofa like this, and when she approached, Zhu Yiqiao grabbed her wrist, pulled her onto the sofa, and gently bit the edge of her gland.
The atmosphere between them hadn’t been harmonious at that time. Her awe of Zhu Yiqiao far outweighed her gratitude and closeness, and she wasn’t used to this “stranger” who had suddenly entered her life. Now, the “respect” in her heart was still as strong as before, but the “awe” had long since disappeared.
They came from the same world, harbored the same secret, and Zhu Yiqiao had even actively helped her many times. Therefore, she sometimes wondered, could they be considered… friends now?
She wasn’t quite sure what Zhu Yiqiao thought.
Because after One Raccoon Hill disappeared, she had returned to the orphanage, and since then, there had been no friends in her life. There were many reasons for this, the most important being two: firstly, she was a supporter of the Mehertaer faction, while the other children in the orphanage mostly supported the Kerry Declaration of the Ole Empire.
Secondly, the sudden deletion of One Raccoon Hill’s account had a certain impact on her.
She had been used to being abandoned by her adoptive parents, but she hadn’t expected that her first close friend would also abandon her without warning, just like them. For many days and nights, she felt that it was because she had been too excited and presumptuous after making her first friend.
She had considered One Raccoon Hill a friend and written her nickname in her diary. But she forgot that One Raccoon Hill had never explicitly confirmed their friendship.
She had been too happy and overlooked this.
After transmigrating—
She met Li Xing. At first, Li Xing knew that she was struggling financially and secretly helped her a lot, even asking her if she wanted to spend the New Year at her house. She refused, and only after hearing Li Xing say with a smile that they were friends, good friends, did she confirm that she really had a friend in this world.
Suppressing her wandering thoughts, Ming Fei walked towards the sofa.
The person who had only appeared on the display screen for almost a week suddenly appeared before her eyes. Ming Fei smiled, her dark almond eyes like pearls in the night.
“Jiejie.”
Zhu Yiqiao: “Mm.”
Ming Fei hid the orchid drum behind her back, not revealing a trace of it.
“When did Jiejie come back?”
“An hour ago.”
Zhu Yiqiao had changed out of her Trial Court uniform, her long curly hair cascading down her shoulders. The black nightgown was fastened by a single thin tie. A gift was placed on the coffee table in front of her; it was the gift she had wanted to send to Tree of Mystical Jade as One Raccoon Hill.
But it had arrived in front of Tree of Mystical Jade thirteen years late.
“Come here, your gland hasn’t been checked for a week.”
Ming Fei nodded and, seeing that Zhu Yiqiao wasn’t wearing gloves, asked,
“Jiejie, do you need me to get you some gloves?”
Those close to her knew that Zhu Yiqiao was a stickler for cleanliness. Every time they held hands, every gland checkup, every pheromone guidance session, Zhu Yiqiao always wore thin white gloves.
But this time, she gave a different answer for the first time.
“No need.”
“Okay.”
Ming Fei didn’t ask any further questions, hiding the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum as she approached Zhu Yiqiao. Just as she reached Zhu Yiqiao’s side and was about to sit down, she took out the orchid drum, specially made for Zhu Yiqiao, as if presenting a treasure.
“Jiejie.”
“This is the flower drum I made for you.”
Her eyes were bright, filled with a gentle smile, the corners of her lips curving upwards, the small dimple on her right cheek sweet, yet like a woven net, capturing Zhu Yiqiao.
“I embroidered a pear on the side, as you requested, and also…”
Zhu Yiqiao looked at her calmly, feeling the thumping of her heart, facing the easily breakable net but not resisting at all, instead walking into it as if inviting it to bind her.
So—
The hunter willingly became the prey.
The mysterious and dangerous beast retracted its claws, becoming a cat drenched in the snow.
The pheromone bracelet on her wrist flashed a blue warning light, indicating that the differentiated individual’s pheromones were fluctuating abnormally and might surge even more violently in the next moment.
Zhu Yiqiao looked into Ming Fei’s almond eyes, seeing the worry and confusion in them.
She thought honestly—
It was heart-fluttering.
It was liking.
It was an uncontrollable urge to get closer.
That’s why she had made exceptions again and again.
Her affection was solely for Ming Fei, not due to the influence of pheromones or the reverse temporary marking, and not because Ming Fei was Tree of Mystical Jade. Because the first time she held Ming Fei’s hand, and when they kissed as part of the act at the Civil Affairs Bureau, her pheromones had overflowed.
And at that time, Ming Fei hadn’t even had pheromones yet.
Later, she discovered that Ming Fei was an alpha, and her slight interest had instantly vanished. But after noticing Ming Fei’s differences during their time together, she learned that Ming Fei was a supporter of the Mehertaer faction. They shared the same beliefs and pursuits, like sparks of fire advancing in the darkness.
She felt that… Ming Fei was like a tree in the wilderness, like the jade embedded in the mountains.
A tree that grew freely upwards despite the harsh wind, frost, and snow, its branches truly bearing jade, like the mystical Tree of Mystical Jade.
She wanted to protect this tree.
Just like a raccoon cat guarding the hill covered with sweet pears.
No matter where she was, at any moment in her life, she accepted all of herself and faced her desires frankly. Wanting power, wanting wealth, wanting to be a decision-maker, she had worked and planned for decades to achieve this.
Now, there was one more desire in her life.
—She liked Ming Fei and wanted Ming Fei to like her too.
She wanted Ming Fei to feel the same heart-fluttering, the same liking, the same uncontrollable urge to get closer.
So, when Ming Fei, still unaware of all this, looked at her with the worry of a naive deer, she didn’t control the overflow of her pheromones.
“…Jiejie.”
Ming Fei looked at her and asked, “Is this also a pre-heat symptom?”
The pheromone concentration in the air was nearing a dangerous level. The lush cedar and fir trees cast large shadows, their branches and leaves brushing against the exquisite Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum. The sweet pear scent, as if sensing something, immediately surged out.
Ming Fei’s brain momentarily short-circuited, not understanding why her pheromones had suddenly become abnormal.
Light and shadows flickered, and the woody scent intensified. For the first time, Ming Fei heard Zhu Yiqiao admit,
“Yes.”
Ming Fei’s eyelashes trembled, like a butterfly trapped in a net, struggling.
According to the pheromone knowledge Zhu Yiqiao had shared with her, if suppressants were ineffective against the pre-heat pheromone surge caused by an impending heat cycle, then only a temporary marking could solve the problem.
And Zhu Yiqiao had told her before that because she had been using suppressants for too long, not only were they less effective than before, but the resulting negative effects also worsened her pre-heat symptoms.
Therefore, this method was clearly not feasible at the moment.
In a flash, meeting Zhu Yiqiao’s gaze, the tips of Ming Fei’s ears gradually began to burn.
She asked uncertainly, “Then… what should we do?”
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