Chapter 5: Disgusting Guy

Xu Man’s gaze shifted back to Liu Qiu, her eyes spinning slyly.

She walked up to Liu Qiu and braced both hands on the desk, scanning her from head to toe like an X-ray.

With a living, breathing person standing right in front of her, Liu Qiu naturally couldn’t ignore it.

But since the other party didn’t speak first, Liu Qiu simply focused on her own work.

Instead, Song Ciyu spoke up.
“Xu Man, if you’ve got nothing to do, don’t disturb my employee while she’s working.”

Xu Man burst out laughing.
“I’m not doing anything, Old Song, don’t be so tense.”
As she spoke, she patted the desk and said to Liu Qiu,
“Hey, lift your head.”

Liu Qiu’s body stiffened, and she slowly raised her head.

Xu Man reached out toward Liu Qiu.

Seeing this, Liu Qiu squeezed her eyes shut and shrank back slightly, timid to the extreme.

Song Ciyu watched from the side and didn’t stop her.

Although she was interested in Liu Qiu and wanted to try what an Alpha tasted like, that was all.

Xu Man was her friend.
As long as it didn’t go too far, Song Ciyu wouldn’t interfere.

Xu Man removed Liu Qiu’s black-framed glasses and stared at her brows and eyes, frowning.
This person was an Alpha?

Liu Qiu opened her eyes.
A mist seemed to veil them, her downturned eye corners paired with long, straight lashes, making her look exceptionally soft.

She pressed her pale pink lips together, her face full of embarrassment.
Her slightly curly black hair and big eyes made her look like a little curly-haired puppy.

Xu Man put the glasses back on Liu Qiu, then took them off again.

After repeating this three times, Xu Man concluded that these glasses were poisonous.

This inferior Alpha actually looked quite good, but once she put the glasses on, her eyes seemed to shrink by half, instantly becoming plain and unremarkable.

Under Xu Man’s gaze, Liu Qiu’s pale, slender fingers twisted together—an unmistakably nervous gesture.

Liu Qiu spoke softly,
“Miss, c-could you please give my glasses back to me? I… I need to work.”
Her voice was barely audible.

Xu Man’s eyelid twitched.
Wasn’t this way too weak?
She couldn’t even speak loudly.

Xu Man tossed the glasses lightly in front of Liu Qiu and laughed.
“It’s fine. Play with me for a bit. Old Song won’t blame you.”

When she took the glasses earlier, Song Ciyu hadn’t stopped her, so she roughly guessed Song Ciyu’s attitude toward this inferior Alpha.

Just messing around.
Since that was the case, there was no need for special treatment.

Song Ciyu only pretended to be proper.
At heart, she was no different from the rest of these Alphas who loved to play.

“Right, Old Song?”

Song Ciyu’s gaze swept lightly over Liu Qiu, her tone lukewarm.
“Liu Qiu, don’t worry. Xu Man isn’t a bad person.”
The words clearly favored Xu Man.

Liu Qiu didn’t know what to say.

Without her glasses, she couldn’t see the computer screen clearly anyway, so she simply lowered her head and stared at her pants.

She had thought No.1 wanted to build a good relationship with her, but instead, she’d let a friend come give her a warning.

“Why’d you lower your head?”
“Liu Qiu, right? Chat with me a bit.”

Xu Man’s voice carried a teasing edge, like she’d found a new toy.

Liu Qiu pretended not to hear her and ignored Xu Man.

Xu Man continued,
“You won’t listen to me? Then I won’t give your glasses back.”

Hearing that, Liu Qiu panicked and raised her head.
“Don’t!”

Had the original owner really been hated by everyone to this extent?
Even someone she’d just met wanted to toy with her like this?

No—
The one standing here now was her, not the original owner.
She should say that she was hated to this extent.

Xu Man raised an eyebrow.
Seeing Liu Qiu’s flustered expression, she found it quite amusing.

Those puppy-like eyes even looked strangely affectionate and pitiful.

Xu Man put the glasses back on Liu Qiu, then turned and walked over to Song Ciyu’s desk, her smile brimming with interest.
“Let me try it sometime too.”

Song Ciyu tapped the desk.
“We’ll talk about it when the time comes.”

She knew perfectly well what Xu Man was referring to.

Since she hadn’t refused outright, Xu Man clicked her tongue a few times, her gaze circling Liu Qiu.

She wondered whether this poor inferior Alpha would break down when the time came.

Between Alphas, pheromones naturally repelled each other.

Moreover, high-grade Alpha pheromones exerted absolute suppression over low-grade Alphas.

During s*x, an Alpha’s pheromones would instinctively overflow and coil around their partner.

But people of the same s*x couldn’t accept that pheromone.
Forced intrusion would only cause pain.

Xu Man had never tried pressing an Alpha before.

Just imagining lying in bed with someone of the same s*x, their pheromones clashing, made her feel sick.

Besides, most Alphas were tall and burly—hardly cute.

Liu Qiu was an exception.

Not only did she look soft, her body was small as well.

Xu Man remembered that even inferior Alphas weren’t usually like Liu Qiu.

If it were Liu Qiu lying in bed with her, she didn’t feel quite as disgusted.

With a lazy smile, Xu Man slowly left the office.

The office was left with only Liu Qiu and Song Ciyu.

Liu Qiu didn’t understand what the two of them had just been talking about, but she felt certain it hadn’t been anything good.

She adjusted her glasses and silently began working.

The atmosphere in the office grew quiet.

Song Ciyu turned her head, watching Liu Qiu’s focused expression, then stood up and brewed coffee for both of them.

The white ceramic mug was placed on the solid wood desk, making a dull sound.

“Angry?”
Song Ciyu’s magnetic voice reached Liu Qiu’s ears.

Liu Qiu slowly shook her head.

Song Ciyu softened her tone a little.
“Xu Man is just like that. She likes to play.”

Liu Qiu stopped what she was doing, raised her head slightly, and said seriously,
“Director Song, I’m not angry.”
Why would she be angry?
Because of Xu Man, she’d even slacked off for a bit.

Sitting in front of her superior, she didn’t dare slack at all.

Song Ciyu pushed the mug filled with coffee toward Liu Qiu.
“Liu Qiu, that was my fault earlier. I should’ve stopped Xu Man.”

“I’ll come by your place another day to apologize.”

The words Liu Qiu was about to refuse got stuck in her throat.
She replied vaguely,
“O-okay.”

So this was where she’d been waiting for her.

She hadn’t even figured out her next excuse to get Song Ciyu to come over, and Song Ciyu had already volunteered.

It seemed she really liked Bai Qingqing.

Liu Qiu simply couldn’t refuse a request like this.

At noon, Liu Qiu planned to eat in the company cafeteria.

Unexpectedly, Song Ciyu went with her, sitting face-to-face during the meal.

Liu Qiu focused on eating her food.
Honestly, the cafeteria food here was pretty good.

She took small bites, when she suddenly heard Song Ciyu say,
“Liu Qiu.”

Liu Qiu swallowed the food in her mouth and lifted her head blankly.

She didn’t speak, but her expression made her thoughts obvious at a glance.

Song Ciyu reached out, brushing the corner of Liu Qiu’s lips, then held her fingertip up in front of her.
“There’s rice stuck here.”

It all happened too fast for Liu Qiu to react.

When she saw the single grain of white rice on Song Ciyu’s fingertip, she softly said, “Thank you, Director Song.”

[System, No.1 is acting kind of strange.
She just helped wipe rice from the corner of my mouth.]

The system scoffed.
[Ah, host, don’t mind such little things. The target might just enjoy helping people. Don’t call me over nothing—I’m gaming.]

Thinking it over, Liu Qiu felt the system made sense.

Still, next time there was no need to be so helpful—she could just tell her.

Of course, Liu Qiu only dared to say that in her heart.

She lowered her head and continued eating, unaware of how many eyes were fixed on them.

Song Ciyu was the main company boss’s child.
Her background alone was untouchable, not to mention she was a high-quality Alpha.

She’d come to the branch company from the bottom and climbed to the director position in less than half a year.

Her excellence was obvious to everyone.

Plenty of people in the company dreamed of sleeping with Song Ciyu.

Although she wasn’t exactly an untouchable ice queen, her rational and rigorous demeanor still kept many at bay.

Yet today, she had personally wiped the mouth of the most inconspicuous employee in the company—

And one of the same s*x, no less.

It was far too intimate.

Because of what happened today, rumors spread throughout the company.

After lunch, the entire afternoon was filled with discussion.

“Did you see it today?”

“I did! Director Song is such a perfect Alpha—Liu Qiu must’ve used some shameless trick to seduce her. So disgusting.”

“Did you know? Liu Qiu’s new workstation is right next to Director Song.”

“!! That’s revolting. An already married Alpha seducing the director.”

Song Ciyu coughed lightly twice, cutting off the conversation.
“It’s time to get off work.”

Seeing that it was Song Ciyu, the people discussing flushed instantly.

After greeting her awkwardly, they hurried away.

There was no displeasure on Song Ciyu’s face.

She had known this would happen.

But it didn’t matter.

These rumors wouldn’t affect her.

At worst, people would just think Liu Qiu was particularly good at using tricks.

Song Ciyu saw Liu Qiu at the elevator.

Liu Qiu was thin, her skin uniquely pale.

Curly hair, a plaid shirt, a crossbody bag—she was easy to recognize.

Song Ciyu stood behind her without making a sound.

Others noticed Song Ciyu and greeted her one after another.

Song Ciyu nodded politely, until Liu Qiu turned around and softly called,
“Director Song.”

Song Ciyu lowered her gaze slightly.
“Mhm.
The elevator’s here. Let’s go.”

Liu Qiu tugged at her clothes and hurried into the farthest corner of the elevator, her head lowered.

Today felt strange.

She kept feeling like people were staring at her, but whenever she followed the sensation, no one was actually looking.

Her back pressed against a body.

Liu Qiu clenched her clothes and edged inward again, pressing herself tightly against the cold metal wall.

Song Ciyu looked at the top of Liu Qiu’s head and said quietly, “Liu Qiu, don’t push my thigh with your butt.”

“Face me. I’ll feel less awkward that way.”

It was Song Ciyu’s voice.

Liu Qiu froze, then turned around awkwardly.

So Song Ciyu knew she’d been pressing her thigh with her butt.

Liu Qiu apologized softly, “Sorry.”

Song Ciyu lowered her eyes, looking down at Liu Qiu from above.

From this angle, she could see Liu Qiu’s perky nose and smooth facial lines.

“It’s fine,” Song Ciyu said.

The conversation stopped.

The elevator doors opened and closed, closed and opened, filling with people.

Song Ciyu braced one hand on each side of Liu Qiu, her tone apologetic.
“Sorry, it’s too crowded.”

Liu Qiu was completely enveloped in Song Ciyu’s space.

She could see the packed figures around them.

It really was as crowded as Song Ciyu said.

Liu Qiu shook her head to indicate it was fine.

It was just… the distance was too close.

She felt like she could smell Song Ciyu’s scent.

Like tulips.

It smelled good, but it made her feel faintly nauseous and dizzy.

The back of her neck grew warm, filling her with irritation and an urge to hit something.

Uncomfortable, Liu Qiu shifted her arm and touched the burning spot at the back of her neck.

Such a strange sensation.

Song Ciyu calmly observed Liu Qiu’s movements.

A fresh mint scent filled her nose—Liu Qiu’s pheromones.

Her instincts rejected it.

But perhaps because Liu Qiu was an inferior Alpha, the rejection wasn’t severe.

She only felt a trace of irritability.

The elevator doors opened.

After everyone else had left, Song Ciyu finally stepped away from Liu Qiu.

Once outside, she asked, “Is your neck uncomfortable?”

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Qiu nodded. “It feels a bit hot.”

Song Ciyu’s gaze swept over Liu Qiu’s long neck. “Do you want me to take a look?”

Liu Qiu had wanted to refuse.

She raised her head and met Song Ciyu’s dark eyes.

Those eyes were sincere.

The refusal stuck in her throat, and she answered softly, “Okay.”

It seemed Song Ciyu really was somewhat helpful.

Looking at her neck wasn’t a big deal, and Song Ciyu was both her superior and her target.

Liu Qiu brushed her hair aside and lowered her head slightly, exposing the back of her neck to Song Ciyu.

Song Ciyu’s gaze instantly darkened.

Her eyes traced Liu Qiu’s nape inch by inch, finally settling on the reddened gland.

Her fingers moved.

She raised her hand and lightly touched it with her fingertip.

Liu Qiu shuddered violently and straightened up at once.

What was that feeling?
It was too strange.

Alarm bells rang in her head, and she pulled some distance between herself and Song Ciyu.

Song Ciyu lowered her lashes and said softly, “Do you want to go to the hospital?”

Her fingers at her side rubbed together, as if savoring the lingering sensation.

Exposing one’s gland to an Alpha’s gaze was no different from a sexual invitation.

But that usually applied only between Omegas and Alphas.

Liu Qiu was about to go into heat.

The warmth at the back of her neck was indeed strange.

Going to the hospital was the sensible choice.

But the moment that thought arose, a stronger urge flooded her heart.

“I want to go home early,” Liu Qiu refused.

Song Ciyu nodded and didn’t say anything more.

Too much enthusiasm would only make people wary.

Later, sitting alone in her car, Song Ciyu raised her finger to her lips and gently licked it.

A gland was where pheromones were most concentrated.

Just a brief touch was enough to leave a strong trace behind.

Mint-scented pheromones.

Her instincts rejected them because they were Alpha pheromones.

Yet psychologically, Song Ciyu felt pleasure.

Because they belonged to a married Alpha.

It was far too stimulating.

Seven in the evening.
Liu Qiu’s home.

Hearing a knock at the door, Liu Qiu opened it.

Seeing Shi Ran standing there, she wasn’t particularly surprised.

“I brought some wine,” Shi Ran said with a smile, lifting the red wine in her hand as she looked at Liu Qiu.

Liu Qiu stepped aside to let her in.

Nighttime and alcohol together carried a faintly ambiguous air.

Shi Ran really was a woman of action.

The system chattered excitedly.
[Wine!
Nice, nice—
They’re definitely going to get you drunk, then do that right next to you.
Your cuckold value will skyrocket!]

Liu Qiu ignored the system’s nonsense.

Maintaining the original owner’s withdrawn persona, she didn’t say a word.

She led Shi Ran to the sofa, then silently brought over a plate of fruit and set it in front of her.

As she lifted her hand, another hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed her wrist tightly.

Liu Qiu frowned slightly and said softly,
“P-please let go.”

Shi Ran wasn’t here with good intentions.

Shi Ran raised her brows and let out a mocking laugh.
“Pervert.
You’re a little in heat.”

The moment she got close, she’d smelled Alpha pheromones on Liu Qiu.

Very faint, but Omegas were extremely sensitive to Alpha pheromones.

Shi Ran had sensed it immediately.

Restless.
Hungry.
The pheromones of an Alpha in heat.

Letting an Omega smell that openly was harassment.

Because Alpha pheromones could induce an Omega’s heat.

Liu Qiu knew perfectly well she was an Omega, yet she’d still let her sense those heat-phase pheromones so brazenly.

Was she trying to make her lose control?

Unfortunately, an inferior Alpha’s pheromones couldn’t affect her at all.

But smelling an Alpha’s heat pheromones still made her uncomfortable.

Shi Ran tightened her grip on Liu Qiu’s wrist.

The wrist beneath her palm was far too thin—
with just a little more force, it felt like it might snap.

Shi Ran’s eyes turned cold.
“Liu Qiu, take back your disgusting pheromones.”

Liu Qiu was completely confused.

What was Shi Ran talking about?