Chapter 16: Too intense

Liu Qiu blinked and said softly, “Okay.” Her voice was a little hoarse, tinged with a muffled nasal tone.

The alcohol had already pushed her nerves to their limit, and after going through something so strange just now, the quiet that followed only deepened her drowsiness. She rubbed her face against the pillow, wiping her tears onto the fabric, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

From beginning to end, Song Ciyu felt no trace of sleepiness. Her body burned, her pheromones churned restlessly, and her mind was wildly stimulated. Liu Qiu had drawn her heat forward.

The mint scent lingering at the tip of her nose was the pure pheromone of an alpha. Her instincts rejected it every second, yet Song Ciyu did not loosen her hold on Liu Qiu. She liked this scent—liked it in a way that was psychological rather than physiological.

The blazing sun hanging high in the sky slowly sank, and the scorching day gave way to a stifling evening.

Liu Qiu woke groggily from her sleep.

Staring at the snow-white wall, her dazed eyes gradually cleared as her memories returned.

She realized she had blacked out again from drinking. She couldn’t remember how she had ended up in bed.

When she shifted slightly, she became aware of an arm wrapped around her waist and a body of alarming heat lying behind her.

She took a deep breath, and the sharp scent of tulips instantly filled her nose. A wave of dizziness struck her brain at once. It was Song Ciyu’s pheromone scent.

There was no doubt about it—the person behind her was Song Ciyu.

Stiffly, Liu Qiu made a small movement, rolling herself onto her back. From beside her came Song Ciyu’s low, husky voice. “Awake?”

Liu Qiu’s body tensed. She immediately shut her eyes again, pretending to still be asleep.

How had she ended up lying in the same bed as Song Ciyu? There was an inexplicable sense of aftermath about it. But her body didn’t feel any different, so probably nothing had happened.

Watching her faintly trembling lashes, Song Ciyu said slowly, “Don’t be angry.”

“I was drunk and couldn’t leave, so I borrowed your bed. The sofa’s too small for me to lie on.”

“We’re both alphas. You don’t have to worry about anything happening between us.”

Hearing the explanation, Liu Qiu let out a quiet breath of relief. So that was it? When people were drunk, their movements weren’t fully under control, so that must be why she had been held. It seemed she had overthought things.

Wait. Song Ciyu’s words clearly showed she knew Liu Qiu was awake.

Liu Qiu felt a little embarrassed, but her heart finally settled.

However, before she could relax for long, the sound of brisk footsteps echoed outside the door. The steps stopped at the entrance, followed by the sound of the door opening and a light, smiling call: “Qiuqiu.”

Liu Qiu’s fingers clenched into fists instantly. No way—Bai Qingqing had come back at this time?

Leaning against the doorway, Bai Qingqing looked at the two people lying on the bed. Her cheeks were half-hidden in the dim yellow light, making her expression impossible to read.

Song Ciyu sat up in bed and looked toward Bai Qingqing, her expression calm and composed.

Two pairs of equally narrow eyes met. Bai Qingqing curled her crimson lips upward. Her strikingly beautiful face carried a chilling coldness, so detached that it felt devoid of emotion.

“What a fine show.”

Song Ciyu reached out and covered Liu Qiu’s ears. “Miss Bai, please lower your voice.”

Bai Qingqing let out a soft scoff. Song Ciyu’s gesture made it seem as though she were the outsider instead. Looking at Liu Qiu’s flushed sleeping face, she said to Song Ciyu, “Come with me.”

The bedroom door closed.

Liu Qiu slowly opened her eyes, hesitating over whether she should go out and take a look.

[Green Hat Value +10]

The sudden movement of the progress bar made her immediately abandon that thought.

Bai Qingqing had probably gotten jealous after seeing Song Ciyu lying in the same bed as her and was now dragging Song Ciyu next door to do who-knows-what.

Liu Qiu rolled over once on the bed and shut her eyes again.

She was just a silent, taciturn wife. She knew nothing.

But…

She reached back and touched the nape of her neck, feeling uneven, slightly swollen skin. She frowned. It burned painfully.

Bai Qingqing didn’t take Song Ciyu to the living room. Instead, she brought her into her own bedroom.

The moment the door closed, Bai Qingqing turned to look at Song Ciyu. The watery gentleness she usually wore as a disguise vanished, leaving only endless coldness.

Softly, Bai Qingqing said, “It seems you like my Qiuqiu quite a bit.”

“Like her so much that the moment I, her partner, wasn’t around, you couldn’t wait to roll into bed with her.”

Song Ciyu remained unhurried, her voice steady. “Miss Bai, you jest. Your wife and I are both alphas. Nothing would happen.” Her calm demeanor gave no hint that she had just gotten out of another person’s wife’s bed.

Bai Qingqing laughed quietly. Her gorgeous face was smiling, but there was no trace of amusement in her eyes. “Since when does being a mistress depend on gender?”

Song Ciyu lowered her gaze slightly, her voice deep and magnetic. “Speaking of which, Miss Bai doesn’t seem to like Liu Qiu either.” Refusing even to let Liu Qiu touch the hem of her clothes looked more like dislike than affection. “So why mind someone inserting themselves between you?”

Bai Qingqing narrowed her eyes but did not deny it. “I don’t like her. But I never said I’d allow anyone else to touch her.”

“She’s my prey.” Her expression turned completely cold, arrogant and self-assured.

Song Ciyu studied her, then slowly smiled. “Prey?” So Bai Qingqing was indeed the same kind of person as her.

“Miss Bai, there’s no need to be so hostile toward me.”

“I don’t like Liu Qiu.”

“Instead of guarding against me, you should be guarding against those beautiful omegas.”

“You wouldn’t want Liu Qiu to suddenly produce an illegitimate child one day—”

The last word caught in her throat as a cold hand clamped tightly around her neck.

Bai Qingqing’s crimson lips curved slightly, her smile faintly seductive. “Are you joking?”

“The one I caught in bed was you, not an omega.” No omega would take interest in a weak alpha like Liu Qiu.

“Right now, I just want to kill you.” The moment the words fell, killing intent surged in Bai Qingqing’s eyes.

Song Ciyu showed no fear. “Lying in the same bed means there’s something going on? That’s rather arbitrary.” Even with her neck gripped tightly, her expression did not change. “You can kill me.”

She had underestimated this beta. Whether in presence or strength, Bai Qingqing far exceeded the average beta. Song Ciyu could clearly feel that Bai Qingqing’s strength surpassed her own. “But I don’t know whether you and Liu Qiu would be able to leave this city.”

Bai Qingqing gave a soft huff of laughter. “Idiot. Do you think I care?”

With that, she flung Song Ciyu hard against the wall. The sound of flesh striking the surface was heavy and dull.

In the next room, Liu Qiu’s heart trembled. Th-this is way too intense. Even the wall is shaking.