Chapter 33: They’re gone

“I want more.”

“Qiuqiu… I still want more.”

Liu Qiu lay sprawled on Bai Qingqing’s body, moving her damp hand aside without speaking, her breathing uneven and broken.

Bai Qingqing was far too enthusiastic about this kind of thing.

Liu Qiu could hardly endure it anymore.

She wanted to leave.

Bai Qingqing tightened her arms and hugged Liu Qiu even closer.

“Qiuqiu, just one more time, okay? I’m still not pregnant.”

Liu Qiu slowly closed her eyes.

She was so tired.

Both of her arms ached terribly.

“We won’t get pregnant. It’s impossible for either of us to get pregnant.”

Her voice drifted softly, as if it would scatter with the slightest breeze.

Bai Qingqing suddenly fell silent.

She only held Liu Qiu tightly, sharing warmth between them.

Liu Qiu didn’t want to speak anymore either.

The room sank into silence.

So tired.

She wanted to sleep…

[Host, don’t sleep! Your vital signs are dropping!]

The system was panicking.

These past few days had been nothing but a blur of white, and the system had feared that her ordinary human body wouldn’t withstand it, so it ran a scan—only to discover her heart rate was getting lower and lower.

Something was very wrong.

[System… I’m so tired. I want to sleep.]

Liu Qiu’s consciousness was fading.

Her breathing gradually weakened.

She was so tired.

Feeling Liu Qiu’s temperature dropping in her arms, Bai Qingqing’s expression went blank.

Her heart clenched violently.

Something was wrong—

After what they had just done, how could a human’s body temperature drop so drastically?

She pulled Liu Qiu upright and let her lie against her chest.

When she lowered her head, she saw Liu Qiu’s lips had turned pale.

An overwhelming sense of terror seized her mind.

Her body trembled uncontrollably.

Why was this happening?

“Liu Qiu… Qiuqiu… open your eyes, please.”

The only answer she received was Liu Qiu’s shallow breathing and faint rise and fall of her chest.

Liu Qiu’s vitality was slowly slipping away.

In an instant, all color drained from Bai Qingqing’s vision.

Tears streamed down silently as if her soul had been ripped out of her body.

Her hoarse sobbing carried boundless despair.

She completely lost control.

“Qiuqiu, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have treated you like that. I don’t want a baby anymore. Please don’t scare me.”

“I haven’t even said I’m sorry to you. I haven’t even told you I love you. Qiuqiu, don’t scare me.”

Bai Qingqing poured demon energy into Liu Qiu’s body desperately.

But Liu Qiu was only a human.

She couldn’t absorb any of it.

“How could this happen? How could this happen?!”

Bai Qingqing was going insane.

Her body convulsed in pain.

She couldn’t understand why Liu Qiu had suddenly become like this.

Even her breathing was broken with sobs.

She clutched Liu Qiu tightly, tears soaking Liu Qiu’s pale face.

“You’re hopelessly stupid.”

The Heart Demon’s furious voice rang out.

Bai Qingqing’s demon energy was completely in chaos.

If this continued, her meridians would rupture under the uncontrolled surge.

The Heart Demon hadn’t even obtained her body yet.

It had no intention of dying alongside her.

“How could that human possibly withstand you like this? Every time you intertwined, you were draining her life force!”

The words struck Bai Qingqing like a hammer to the chest.

She curled up, clutching Liu Qiu tightly, blood spilling from the corner of her lips without her noticing.

How had she forgotten?

She was a demon.

She cultivated by absorbing human essence.

She pressed her cheek gently to the top of Liu Qiu’s head.

Her voice trembled, hoarse beyond measure.

“It’s my fault.”

The next second, the faint heartbeat in her arms disappeared completely.

Bai Qingqing’s face turned ashen.

Pain and despair twisted into madness in her eyes.

“It’s okay, Qiuqiu. Wait for me.”

“Wait for me in hell. I’ll be there soon.”

Blood surged up her throat and spilled endlessly from her lips, dripping onto Liu Qiu’s face and body.

She traced Liu Qiu’s features gently.

“Qiuqiu, it’ll be quick. Don’t go too far.”

The Heart Demon was about to go mad.

Bai Qingqing was about to self-detonate.

It refused to disappear.

“Idiot! Give her your demon core!”

Bai Qingqing’s breathing halted.

Right—she still had her demon core.

With trembling movements, she lowered her head and kissed Liu Qiu’s pale lips.

The blood-stained demon core dissolved into light inside Liu Qiu’s mouth and entered her body.

Using the last of her demon energy, she cleaned away every trace and stain on Liu Qiu’s body.

Without her demon core, Bai Qingqing’s body gradually transformed into a small white snake.

It weakly coiled around Liu Qiu’s wrist, feeling the faint pulse gradually returning.

Qiuqiu… I’m sorry.

I’m always too impulsive.

Human emotions were so hard to understand.

She only ever realized her mistakes after it was too late.

“Qiuqiu, when you wake up… can you not blame me? I’ll slowly learn how to love someone properly.”

The little snake flicked its tongue as it spoke, its voice thin and strange, like a child who had just learned to talk.

Without her demon core, she could no longer transform into human form.

Her body would grow weaker and weaker.

But it didn’t matter.

The little snake blinked slowly, loosened its coil from Liu Qiu’s wrist, and fell onto the bed.

“Qiuqiu… don’t go. I’ll just rest for a while…”

Its body gradually faded, becoming weaker and weaker, until it finally disappeared into the air.

---

“Dammit, Bai Qingqing—!”

Still no one answered the door.

A week ago, Liu Qiu had sent a message saying she was going on a trip.

– Shi Ran, I’m going out traveling. Don’t worry about me.

There was no way Liu Qiu would ever send something like that.

Afterward, messages she sent to Liu Qiu would still receive replies, even photos.

But those photos were clearly stock images from the internet.

Her calls were never answered.

The replies were automated, like customer service texts.

After finishing her business, Shi Ran rushed back immediately.

The first day she knocked politely.

By the second and third day, she was kicking the door frantically.

“Bai Qingqing! If anything happened to Liu Qiu, you’re finished!”

“Open the door! Open it! If you don’t open it, I’m calling the police!”

That lunatic—who knew what inhuman thing she might have done.

Anyone who could act like that in front of others couldn’t possibly be normal.

Shi Ran kicked the metal door again.

A dull clang echoed.

“Damn it!”

She could only call the police now.

Just as she took out her phone—

Someone arrived with two police officers.

Song Ciyu said calmly, “It’s this apartment. The day my friend escorted her ex-wife back here, she disappeared completely.”

“I’m very worried something happened to her.”

Shi Ran leaned against the wall coldly.

She didn’t know this alpha, but she knew she had come looking for Liu Qiu.

And from her words, it meant she had seen Liu Qiu and Bai Qingqing together before Liu Qiu vanished.

Now that Liu Qiu was missing, involving the police was the best solution.

“Yes,” Shi Ran added. “I hope we can find her soon.”

The officers nodded.

They had already checked the records.

The alpha named Liu Qiu had indeed entered this residential complex a week ago—and never appeared again.

They knocked.

No response.

Shi Ran forced her voice steady.

“I’ve been knocking here for a week. No one has opened the door. I’m really worried.”

“Liu Qiu is very polite. If she were home, she wouldn’t ignore the door.”

“My calls won’t go through either.”

Her tone grew increasingly anxious.

“Please don’t worry, ma’am,” the officer said.

Though even they were beginning to feel uneasy.

A recently divorced couple returning home together—and then never seen again.

And this omega’s testimony only deepened the tension.

Song Ciyu’s face remained calm, her voice gentle.

“She’ll be fine.”

If not for her tightly clenched fingers, she would have appeared perfectly composed.

With no response from inside, they called a locksmith.

During the investigation, police discovered something strange.

There was no detailed information about Bai Qingqing in the official database.

The documents used for the marriage were entirely forged under the name of a beta with the same identity.

---

Liu Qiu felt like she had had a very long dream.

She couldn’t remember what it was about.

Frowning slightly, she opened her eyes.

The dazed feeling gradually faded.

She sat up, feeling refreshed, as if she had never endured that week-long ordeal.

Looking around, she saw no sign of Bai Qingqing.

She let out a breath of relief and got out of bed to put on a dress.

Her stomach and legs didn’t hurt.

Looking down at her bare legs, she saw no bite marks or bruises.

It felt like nothing but a dream.

Just as she was about to go to the bathroom, the door was suddenly forced open.

Shi Ran saw her standing there and inhaled sharply.

She strode over and pulled Liu Qiu into her arms.

“You scared me to death. Thank goodness you’re okay.”

She had no energy left to scold her.

Seeing Liu Qiu unharmed was comfort enough.

Song Ciyu stood a step behind, worry written clearly across her face.

“Liu Qiu, did Bai Qingqing do something to you?”

Liu Qiu shook her head.

“No.”

When she noticed the uniformed officers at the door, she clenched her fingers nervously.

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“Didn’t I say I was traveling?”

She had asked the system to send that message.

How had it escalated to police?

Shi Ran scoffed coldly.

“As if that’s something you’d say. I’m not stupid.”

She released Liu Qiu and scanned the room.

“Where’s Bai Qingqing?”

Liu Qiu shook her head again, indicating she didn’t know.

“I’m really sorry. But I’m fine.”

The officers smiled politely.

“It’s good you’re safe. If anything happens, report it in advance.”

After they left, Liu Qiu turned to Shi Ran and Song Ciyu.

“I… want to take a shower.”

Since Bai Qingqing was gone, she might as well clean up and leave quickly.

Otherwise, if Bai Qingqing returned and dragged her into another week of this, she really wouldn’t survive it.

Shi Ran dropped onto the sofa and crossed her legs.

“Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

“That suitcase by the door—you were planning to leave, right? You can move in with me.”

Song Ciyu added gently, “If you need a new place, you can contact me.”

Shi Ran shot her a disdainful look.

An alpha competing with an omega?

She had no chance.

Liu Qiu smiled shyly.

“Thank you.”

“Go shower,” Shi Ran urged. “Then come with me.”

Liu Qiu nodded and hurried off.

She genuinely wanted that shower.

She washed quickly, dried her hair halfway, changed into her own clothes, and stepped out.

Over half an hour had passed.

Yet both Shi Ran and Song Ciyu were still waiting.

They were clearly determined to leave with her.

Pulling her suitcase, Liu Qiu lowered her gaze and said softly,

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Her voice was as timid and gentle as ever.

“Let’s go,” Shi Ran said firmly.

The sound of suitcase wheels rolling echoed faintly.

On the bed, a small white snake slipped from beneath the covers and fell to the floor.

It slowly slithered toward the door.

But it was too weak.

By the time it reached the doorway, it could no longer move.

Through the crack, Bai Qingqing saw Liu Qiu’s back as she pulled her suitcase away.

“Qiuqiu… don’t go.”

Her voice was so faint it could barely be heard.

“Don’t go!”

Tears fell from her scarlet eyes.

The little snake struggled forward, wanting to stop her, wanting Liu Qiu to see her, to hear her.

But she moved too slowly.

Her voice was too soft.

The door closed.

The dull thud severed them completely.

Qiuqiu… has left.

She truly doesn’t want me anymore.