Chapter 20

The next morning, Yan Qingqiu was already picking out clothes. She had good taste, and the outfits Su Xingjie had sent were beautiful—everything she tried on looked stunning.

She tried on dresses, short-sleeved tops with pants, shorts, and even a formal suit. None felt quite right.

She even dug out the clothes "she" used to wear. Since transmigrating, she rarely wore the old "her" clothes; they were all stored in the walk-in closet. She mostly wore the new clothes Su Xingjie gave her.

She pulled out her phone, scrolled through old photos, and found the outfits "she" used to love most. She tried on two sets but felt uncomfortable with both. In the end, she chose a light white dress and tucked her golden hair behind her ears.

Yan Qingqiu made sure she was neat and presentable, even applying a light layer of lipstick. She achieved the most polished version of herself. Going downstairs, she lifted her skirt slightly—the hem was layered in gentle waves—and she felt quite pleased with herself.

Meeting her father warranted a more formal look.

In Yan Qingqiu's memory, the orphanage had been like this: whenever a prospective adoptive aunt and uncle came to visit, the children had to dress up pretty. That way, the grown-ups would like them, and they'd get parents.

But Yan Qingqiu never got adopted.

The butler saw her like this in the living room and gave a slight nod. "Miss, the master's plane should arrive this afternoon. No need to be nervous."

Yan Qingqiu hummed. "I know."

Song Qingre had gotten up early and was reading a book in the sitting room on the first floor. She lowered the book and looked at Yan Qingqiu with an artist's appreciative gaze.

She offered a sincere compliment. "Qiuqiu looks lovely."

Yan Qingqiu felt a swell of pride but didn't let it show.

She'd already admired herself in the mirror countless times upstairs and agreed she did look good.

The butler asked, "The master won't be back until noon. It's still cool out—would you like a drive to stretch your legs?"

Yan Qingqiu thought it over. "Sure."

Yan Qingqiu went to the garage herself to choose a car. She picked a yellow convertible, got in, and squinted as she enjoyed the breeze. The driver didn't go fast, cruising around the villa district and up into the hills behind, letting her feel the cool morning air.

"The young lady has been quite lively lately," the driver remarked. "Not at all like before, when every other word was about Fu Ye. The master will be very happy to see it."

Song Qingre nodded, watching the car disappear, and agreed. "I'm happy too." There was no longer any worry that she'd run off and vanish.

The little slope behind wasn't high, dotted with fruit trees. She had the driver take her up to the top, where she stood and yelled once, letting the shout release all the tension in her body.

The driver said, "The young lady seems to be in a good mood."

Yan Qingqiu pressed her lips together. "Not bad."

She yelled again to let off steam. "Song Qingre, just you wait!"

She was getting into it and shouted once more, "Pest!"

Yeah, it was silly, but it felt amazing!

Her golden hair caught the warm orange sunlight, and the hem of her skirt lifted with the wind. She took a deep breath, taking in the lush green hills and the rose gardens scattered across them.

Yan Qingqiu leaned against the car for a long while. The driver drove her back down, still taking in the scenery. "It's really beautiful here. I should come running here sometime."

The driver agreed. "Sure. Come have a picnic up in the hills on your days off."

Leaving aside the fact that these were game characters, just living here would be absolutely worry-free. She couldn't understand why the original "her" had been so obsessed with love.

If only she really could live here.

If only this were the real world.

After taking in the view, Yan Qingqiu drove back and caught Song Qingre on the phone. Song Qingre had her back to the door, speaking politely.

Yan Qingqiu sneaked a few discreet steps closer to eavesdrop, wondering if she was calling the doctor. The good news was Song Qingre wasn't calling the doctor. The bad news was the caller was from the bar—and it seemed to be about her little notebook.

Hearing that set her off. That bar was so shady. When she'd personally gone to ask for it back, they wouldn't give it to her, yet they'd given it to Song Qingre—and now they actually dared to call about it.

The woman on the other end asked why Song Qingre wasn't at the company, saying it wasn't like her. Song Qingre explained she had business today and arranged to discuss things in detail the day after tomorrow. The two chatted about other topics, laughing and talking.

Yan Qingqiu strongly suspected they were laughing at her.

Song Qingre hung up and, seeing her back, greeted her as if nothing had happened. Yan Qingqiu deliberately sat across from her.

Song Qingre continued flipping through her book.

Yan Qingqiu thought stubbornly: If you don't talk, I won't either. Let's see who speaks first. After holding out a while, she couldn't take it and glanced over.

Song Qingre took a sip of tea from her cup, her other hand still holding the book, utterly absorbed. Water wetted the corner of her lips and dripped onto her clothes without her noticing. She was wearing a low-cut black dress, and her chest looked full and ample. Yan Qingqiu immediately thought of how she'd corrected "bounce" to "bounce" in her notebook.

Unable to bear it, Yan Qingqiu spoke first, her voice going cold. "You're still going to do the art design for that bar?"

Her look at Song Qingre said: you've been corrupted by money.

"Doing that kind of design doesn't pay much—at most ten thousand. It's just helping them match colors," Song Qingre said. "I don't have a choice, you know. If I don't go help with the design, how am I going to get your little notebook back? I'm an artist. I had high, noble principles, and because of you, I'm now designing walls and colors for a bar. My prestige has been dragged down."

The awkwardness began.

This was mortifying.

She had to admit what she'd written was completely unspeakable.

"Sigh." Song Qingre sighed.

That speech left Yan Qingqiu's confrontational fire sputtering out. She felt guilty. She was the one who'd lost the notebook, yet Song Qingre was the one bearing the consequences.

Actually, wasn't Song Qingre embarrassed too? After all, Song Qingre had been pinned to the steering wheel by her... She thought about it and almost wanted to laugh. Why?

But Song Qingre wasn't angry with her at all. She stayed mild and warm. Yan Qingqiu couldn't help reflecting on herself: had she been too hard on Song Qingre?

"Then... I should thank..." Yan Qingqiu really couldn't get the words out. It wasn't that she was being stubborn—there was genuinely no way to thank Song Qingre. What had she written? Smut about the two of them. Should she thank Song Qingre for rescuing the smut she'd written?

God, even the great literary masters of the last century never had to face this level of awkwardness.

"You don't need to thank me. Actually, I'm curious—I want to know what state of mind you were in when you wrote that thing. I genuinely can't figure out why you'd write it." Song Qingre truly hadn't figured it out. From what she'd seen, Yan Qingqiu treated her like a wolf or tiger—all appetite, no nerve.

Yan Qingqiu swore to heaven she'd written it purely out of emotional agitation. She was about to explain when—

"Oh... so that's how it is. I get it now." Song Qingre suddenly got an enlightened look.

Yan Qingqiu's head throbbed. Afraid someone might overhear, she lowered her voice to protest. "No! What are you thinking?!"

"Were you not just writing it for fun?" Song Qingre countered. "I thought you were just being childish and didn't mean anything by it. If that's not the case, then I'll have to take this seriously with you."

Song Qingre sat up straight, abandoning her book.

Yan Qingqiu felt she'd been tricked, but she was speechless.

"No, that's not..."

Miss Song delivered her verdict: "Your writing is excellent, but you've affected my image. I'm an artist, you know. Since we've come this far, we have to do something to salvage the situation."

Yan Qingqiu was dizzy from her words, but her ears were traitorously keen—whenever Song Qingre lowered her voice, she couldn't help but lean in to eavesdrop.

Song Qingre said, "You see, your writing is actually very good. You could keep going and make it more... detailed. Add more real-life material. I can draw to go with it. You write, I illustrate—together, we'd take the world by storm."

"Is my writing really that good?" Yan Qingqiu felt herself floating.

"It's quite... steamy." Song Qingre said.

Yan Qingqiu felt a little shy, and was getting carried away—she felt like she could write a whole train of scenes when she got home—but she quickly snapped back to reality. Liar!

She'd barely written any words and even included pinyin! What writing skill was there to speak of?

But then she lost the thread again. Weren't they getting off topic?

She really wanted to explain that she hadn't written that kind of thing because her thoughts ran wild, but because Song Qingre had flirted with her in the car that day, and she'd come home steaming and written it as catharsis. It was venting, not real.

She was just venting!

When you're venting and your head's a mess, it's completely normal to make a few typos.

Song Qingre said bluntly, "You see, venting usually means cursing someone to die. You vent by writing steamy stuff. I get it. Sometimes when I vent, I want to do the same."

"..."

"I can understand you wanting to pin me to the steering wheel."

"You've thought about pinning me?"

Song Qingre said seriously, "No, not really. I don't have as vivid an imagination as you. But since you brought it up, I could give it a try. Though my car isn't really suited for it—I'll get a different one."

Yan Qingqiu felt the conversation spiraling.

Wait, how did it get back to this again!

Luckily, Song Qingre circled back. She said, "So... I just had a creative inspiration. I want to paint a scene of spring in a car. You can be my model for it."

Yan Qingqiu didn't catch it at first, thinking that since Song Qingre painted beautifully and she was pretty herself, she could help.

Song Qingre said, "Let's team up. You write, I do the illustrations. I bet we could make a lot of money."

"How much do you think we'd make?"

Song Qingre let out a soft laugh. "Priceless."

Yan Qingqiu was silent for a while. It did seem lucrative. "That's not out of the question." Seeing the smile curl at Song Qingre's lips, she asked, "How do we split the proceeds?"

Song Qingre rose with a smile and tapped her on the head with the book. "Silly."

Yan Qingqiu still didn't get it. She protected her head, but Song Qingre laughing, tapped her again. Yan Qingqiu quickly stood up and snatched the book from her. Afraid it would tear, Song Qingre let go without a fight. Yan Qingqiu clutched it to her chest and scooted to the far end of the sofa, putting distance between them.

"Don't ruin my sketchbook," Song Qingre said. It was very expensive.

Yan Qingqiu opened it herself. The first page made her start slightly—it showed an oil painting of a voluptuous nude woman.

The woman had golden hair and wore a ruby necklace at her chest, her posture graceful and her bearing exquisite.

She held a thin gauze veil between her fingers, hinting at and obscuring in equal measure, utterly exposed and utterly elegant. Magnificent.

"Good, right?"

Yan Qingqiu struggled to find words. Words like seductive or alluring didn't really fit these paintings.

Song Qingre came around and stood by the sofa arm, flipping a page for her. "There's more."

Unknowingly, the two of them had drawn close. Yan Qingqiu narrowed her eyes to look, then suddenly realized, and said in outrage, "Why didn't you just say it was a nude painting?! All that talk about a scene of spring in a car!"

Song Qingre even answered seriously: "Please don't profane the beauty of art. What I paint is art."

Yan Qingqiu was utterly stunned. She wanted to argue back, but since she couldn't even write the character for "sieve" correctly, she came off as the uneducated one. "Don't even think about it. I'm not letting you paint me!"

Song Qingre just smiled.

Yan Qingqiu probed, "You've never painted something like this before?"

"Once. I stopped after that."

"Why?" Yan Qingqiu was curious.

Song Qingre said, "Because I couldn't appreciate it from an artistic perspective. I would always end up looking at it with eyes full of desire, and that made me feel vulgar."

Yan Qingqiu felt a pang of melancholy hearing that. She wasn't a person with much artistic sense and didn't really understand what Song Qingre meant, so she looked up at her. "Who did you paint?"

The one who'd been talking about art gave a soft smile and said mysteriously, "Not telling."

"Pfft, stingy."

Yan Qingqiu pressed, "Then where's the painting now?"

Song Qingre said, "Secret."

The more she refused to say, the more curious Yan Qingqiu became. She ground her teeth. "Would it kill you to say?"

Song Qingre didn't shut down her curiosity completely. She bent slightly, resting a hand on the back of the sofa, her head tilted down to look at the person before her, her voice starting to coax. "We can trade secrets. If Qiuqiu has a secret she'd like to exchange with me."

"Hmph." Yan Qingqiu guessed she wanted to find out about her secret identity as a formidable omega. She wasn't going to say it. She turned away and kept looking at the sketchbook.

While they talked, the butler came over.

Song Qingre reached out to take back her sketchbook, but Yan Qingqiu refused to return it, holding a grudge over how she'd been teased, and decided to claim the sketchbook as her own.

···

After breakfast, the doctor arrived. Quite a few cars pulled up in the courtyard.

They'd originally planned to set up a canopy in the yard, but September was still scorching, and by ten o'clock the cars were already baking in the sun. The butler simply had them move the setup to the pool area in the back, where shade was better. The checkups that needed privacy and darkness were done in the small side parlor.

He arranged everything efficiently, but Yan Qingqiu stood at the entrance frantically watching. Seeing the white-coated doctors setting up their instruments one by one, she itched to go up to each of them and ask, "Hi, are you the gland doctors? Can we have a private chat?"

The butler saw how intently she was watching and took it as eagerness to prove her alpha status. He walked over to placate her nervous energy, saying, "Don't worry, miss. Your turn will come soon."

His voice felt like being dragged into a demon's lair, making her want to scream. The more she looked at him, the more suspicious he seemed. He'd defected, hadn't he? The butler had definitely been turned.

Yan Qingqiu said, "I'm just looking. I'm not thinking about going first. What if the first checkup isn't accurate?"

"That shouldn't be the case," the butler said. "Everyone here is a professional."

"But what if it is? It's not a hundred percent certain."

The butler thought for a moment and had to admit she had a point. "I'll go remind the doctors to be especially careful with you and run your checkup twice."

"..."

That wasn't necessary either!

The butler, ever responsible, went around to every doctor and instructed them all to take extra care with the young lady.

Yan Qingqiu couldn't help but stamp her foot. She turned and nearly collided with someone. She stepped back first, and saw it was Song Qingre, who was looking at her with a teasing half-smile. She immediately shoved into her instead.

Song Qingre didn't yield, letting Yan Qingqiu crash into her, then pinched her waist to stop her. "Omega miss... please be careful."

Yan Qingqiu pressed her lips together, seriously contemplating murder.

The two of them were locked in a standoff when Su Xingjie arrived by car.

Su Xingjie got out and saw Yan Qingqiu looking like she wanted Song Qingre dead, even reaching for a knife. Su Xingjie had often had the faint impression that Yan Qingqiu had been swapped out, but now she finally relaxed.

Girl, you're finally back.

Su Xingjie called out, "Qiu Bao, I'm here!"

Yan Qingqiu turned to leave, but Song Qingre pinched her waist hard and pulled her back. "Want to test how strong your waist is? See if you can push me, an alpha, away?"

"Monster strength? I think you're the monster! A freshly-minted demon! Let go of me!" Yan Qingqiu shoved several times but couldn't break free. So infuriating.

How were omegas this weak!

Song Qingre found her phrasing adorable and couldn't keep from letting out a low chuckle. She let her go—but not without a glance at Su Xingjie beside her.

Su Xingjie felt chilled by the look. She'd come over because she'd heard the family was doing physicals, which saved her a trip to the hospital later.

Yan Qingqiu had initially worried about her coming, afraid she couldn't handle the doctors and would end up not just embarrassed in the villa, but embarrassed in front of everyone.

But then she had a flash of inspiration—a new plan.

Yan Qingqiu was about to speak, then took a few steps and hissed.

"My... my waist..."

"What's wrong?" Su Xingjie quickly moved to support her.

"Song Qingre hurt my waist." Yan Qingqiu bent over and rubbed it.

Su Xingjie felt like her mind was going places it shouldn't. Yan Qingqiu's voice had been hoarse a few days ago, and now her waist was acting up. She whispered, "Aren't you an alpha? A fierce A, almost SSS-rank? Why does your waist hurt?"

Girl, that question really stumped me.

Yan Qingqiu said, "She ambushed me. No honor."

"That is pretty hateful." Su Xingjie shot her a look, offered an arm, and they walked inside. "Want me to rub it for you?"

"No need, it's fine. It'll pass soon." Yan Qingqiu brought her inside. There was plenty of fruit in the house, and Yan Qingqiu grabbed some for Su Xingjie. She carefully surveyed the place and pinpointed where the gland doctor was stationed.

The butler came to fetch her, saying everything was ready. Yan Qingqiu didn't move. "Let the aunties go first. It'll be hotter later—why make them wait for that? Besides, can't you see I'm enjoying a chat with Xing Xing?"

The butler didn't question it and had the house staff go for their checkups first. Yan Qingqiu watched closely, trying to gauge whether the gland doctor was approachable.

The gland doctor was set up in a room off the side parlor, with people going in one at a time. The maids said the doctor was a bit stern but not mean.

"Xing Xing, do me a favor." Yan Qingqiu kept her voice low.

"Mm? Tell me." Su Xingjie nodded.

"Later, get me the gland doctor's contact info."

Su Xingjie frowned, her look turning suspicious. She asked seriously, "Why do you need the doctor's number?"

"Where's your head going? I'm not so desperate I'd hit on a doctor." Yan Qingqiu had anticipated the misunderstanding and explained, "Isn't Song Qingre also an alpha? And I'm an alpha too. What if she outranks me and finds out? Won't she laugh at me to death?"

"You're so A that most people can't even smell your pheromones. How could she outrank you?" Su Xingjie was a bit indignant, thinking Yan Qingqiu was worrying over nothing.

"What if she does? I can't lose to her." Yan Qingqiu's tone was solemn.

Su Xingjie didn't dwell on it further and nodded. "I'll go before you and get it directly. But speaking of your pheromones..." A thread of doubt flickered through her mind as she bit into a cut fruit. "I looked it up online a few times after that. The internet says an A that has no scent at all has never been heard of. The ones with no scent are betas."

"Baidu lies. Would you trust Baidu instead of me?"

Yan Qingqiu had wondered about it too. Why did Su Xingjie believe such a flimsy excuse? It sounded obviously fake. But then she thought: Su Xingjie liked to defend her blindly, everyone had differentiated at seventeen or eighteen, and they'd all been kids then. She'd duped Su Xingjie, and it made sense Su Xingjie believed her.

"Exactly! That's why I'm unsure. What if no scent means I'm at a disadvantage? Xing Xing, I'm so scared and anxious!" Yan Qingqiu quickly played the weak card. Su Xingjie looked at her with fond sympathy, dismissed her doubts, and said, "It's fine, don't panic. You have me. Trust the doctors' skill. And if it really looks bad, we'll just have the doctor keep it confidential. I'll go talk to her."

Yan Qingqiu nodded. "Thanks, sweetie."

"Mm." Su Xingjie felt warm inside.

As she smiled, she spotted Song Qingre leaning against the door.

Su Xingjie met her eyes. Song Qingre didn't speak, just watched quietly. Her lashes were long, and when they fell, they looked heavy and dark.

That woman had never seemed gentle to Su Xingjie, not since the very first day they'd met—always carrying a kind of hostility. Back in school it had been mild, but it had grown fiercer over time, and now she wasn't bothering to hide it at all.

With Su Xingjie helping, Yan Qingqiu didn't have to tiptoe around anymore. Let Song Qingre stare all she wanted—she had backup. And looking at Su Xingjie's figure, Yan Qingqiu thought that being an omega and ending up just as shapely wasn't so bad.

Yan Qingqiu laughed. "Help all you want, but no seducing. You're too gorgeous—being with anyone would be a waste."

"You're always praising me." Su Xingjie was shy, tugging at her clothes.

She couldn't help recalling when they'd first met. They'd been friends since middle school. Su Xingjie developed early; her body started growing toward an omega's before she'd even differentiated. Kids could be crueler than adults—they'd mock her without any restraint, anywhere. Su Xingjie had wanted to wrap herself up like a zongzi every day, hunched over, afraid to be seen.

Once, during a class cleanup, someone deliberately splashed water on her, soaking her chest, then closed the window and locked her out on the ledge. She stood there, unable to move, while everyone laughed at her like she was a circus act.

Su Xingjie was so helpless she couldn't even cry.

Back then, she and Yan Qingqiu weren't close—just classmates assigned to the same window-cleaning duty. But Yan Qingqiu didn't laugh like the others. She jumped down from the other window, opened the latch, picked up the dirty water used for washing rags, and splashed it on the boys who were laughing, cursing them out for her. After that, she'd taken the initiative to be friends with Su Xingjie, brought her along, teamed up with her for activities, and praised her without reserve—saying she was beautiful, that she looked like a model, a born beauty, and that no matter who in the class became an omega, no one would be prettier than her.

Back then, Yan Qingqiu's favorite sayings, next to mentioning the older girl a grade above her, were: "Xing Xing is so beautiful. When I take her out, I don't even want to share. Xing Xing belongs up in the sky—mortals can't even reach her."

In time, the whole class started to envy Yan Qingqiu for having an elite omega as a friend, all convinced Su Xingjie would become a high-ranking omega later. High-rank omegas were rare. Once adolescent hormones hit, plenty of pretty girls and boys at school would come chasing after her.

But in turn, Su Xingjie didn't want to play with anyone else—only Yan Qingqiu. She grew colder to everyone else, sometimes feeling they were annoyingly clingy, always wasting the time she could spend with her best friend.

When Yan Qingqiu later differentiated into an alpha, it seemed perfectly natural to Su Xingjie. Yan Qingqiu was so awesome and brave—she was a born alpha! And not having a scent that could be detected? Totally normal.

···

The Yan family had been imperial merchants for generations. They were wealthy—they'd never once been poor.

The villa was large, and naturally, the staff was numerous. The checkups took nearly an hour, and the butler came to call her again.

This time, Yan Qingqiu didn't dawdle. She had Su Xingjie go first while she tagged along. She ran to the pool area first to get the other tests done, and left the gland check for last. She stood at the door without going in.

The butler came over with a tray to serve the doctor tea and asked, "Miss, are you still not going in?"

"What do you mean, 'still'?" Yan Qingqiu didn't like his wording.

The butler said, "Miss Song just made a bet with me. She said you'd definitely skip the checkup this time too."

"What a fool. She's using reverse psychology. I'll go in a minute. Hmph, what can she do to me? Let her stew." As she said it, she patted Su Xingjie's shoulder. "Xing Xing, you go first. Go on."

Su Xingjie went in quickly. Yan Qingqiu waited outside, gazing at Song Qingre, who was still watching her. "Alpha sees alpha—what's wrong with her going in first?"

Su Xingjie came out quickly and gave her a look. Yan Qingqiu went in, and Song Qingre followed right behind. Song Qingre said, "Alpha sees alpha—no problem there, right?"

Yan Qingqiu's heart was still racing. Why had Su Xingjie come out so fast? She texted her to ask, and Su Xingjie replied: 【All set. The doctor promised she won't give your info to Song Qingre. Just go in.】

Yan Qingqiu: 【OK!】

She pocketed her phone and continued with the exam.

The gland doctor was a woman. The exam room had only one chair, and seeing the two of them come in, she gave up her own seat. She changed gloves between each check. Song Qingre stood on the side looking at the record sheet, though it was unclear if she understood it.

Yan Qingqiu stiffened but walked over.

The doctor pushed aside her hair and felt around her neck a couple times with her fingers. She'd already seen Yan Qingqiu's file. "Alpha?"

Yan Qingqiu nodded immediately. "Yes, yes, yes."

The doctor said nothing, felt again, then looked down at Yan Qingqiu and repeated, this time far less certain, "Alpha?"

Yan Qingqiu had specifically asked the previous doctor about this. The doctor had said gland exteriors looked the same, but an experienced hand could tell the difference with a touch.

"Your gland... is it..."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Yan Qingqiu jumped to confirm, not giving the doctor a chance to finish, silently signaling she knew she was an omega and not to expose it. Whatever the doctor said, the answer was yes.

"But weren't you previously..."

"I was before too!" Yan Qingqiu confirmed again. Then a thought struck her—the family had had checkup doctors before too. How had "she" managed to fake being an alpha without being caught? That was strange.

She shrank her neck and said it itched. The doctor withdrew her fingers. Yan Qingqiu carefully turned to look at the doctor, who was frowning, utterly bewildered.

Yan Qingqiu guessed she was probably thinking: why is a beta who's been faking being an alpha now on the verge of becoming an omega?

Yan Qingqiu nervously swallowed, hoping she was smart enough.

Full of questions, the doctor turned to look at Song Qingre.

She wore an expression of someone who'd practiced for years but now doubted her own skills. She motioned for Song Qingre to sit as well, put on a new pair of gloves, and examined her too. Song Qingre sat upright in the chair. The doctor felt along her neck. "You're an alpha, right?"

Song Qingre quickly leaned back and broke the tension first. "Doctor, could you... change your gloves between examining our glands?"

The doctor looked at her, then at Yan Qingqiu.

Song Qingre interlaced her fingers calmly, but her knuckles were white, thumbs pressing hard against each other. The doctor had touched Yan Qingqiu's gland, then touched hers—like a bee that had freshly gathered nectar, smearing it onto a pistil.

The doctor looked at Yan Qingqiu and said, "She..."

Yan Qingqiu cut in quickly. "Her name is Song Qingre."

She kept her eyes on the doctor. The doctor nodded in understanding and said, "This situation is a bit unexpected for me."

She'd assumed two alphas, but it turned out one of them was an omega mid-differentiation. She'd almost doubted herself.

The doctor said, "I did change my gloves just now."

She looked at Yan Qingqiu's gland. Pheromone fluid had just started secreting, and even normal gloves couldn't contain it. That meant when Yan Qingqiu fully differentiated, her rank would be something else.

She might be the first SSS-rank omega in history.

"You two can't be examined together. Miss Song, go take an X-ray for now." The doctor changed her gloves again and carefully examined Yan Qingqiu's gland. "How long? Don't lie. If something goes wrong, you might not be able to handle it."

Lying now would be pointless. Yan Qingqiu glanced back at Song Qingre, who was still getting checked, and calculated the days. She lowered her voice. "Forty-nine days."

"You've reached the mature stage." This doctor was clearly more experienced than the last one and said directly, "And you weren't an alpha before, were you."

Yan Qingqiu was terrified Song Qingre might hear.

The doctor guessed her worry and respected her privacy, lowering her voice as well. "You can't go on like this. You've almost finished differentiating. If a high-ranking alpha so much as lures you, it'll accelerate your maturation immediately."

Yan Qingqiu was on the verge of tears. "Please, keep it a secret. Please."

The doctor said quietly, "But you need to get checked, and you need to take suppressants. If I'd examined Miss Song first just now, you might have been carried into the hospital today."

Yan Qingqiu panicked. "The previous doctor said I didn't need to be so sensitive."

"That was before you reached maturity. Now you're secreting pheromone fluid. I'm not trying to scare you—if any alpha bites you right now and injects even a trace of pheromones, you'll lose control on the spot and beg to be marked. How do you not know to protect yourself?"

Yan Qingqiu was stunned. Three days ago, there'd been no pheromone fluid!

As she spoke, she heard the door open.

Song Qingre came out from the inner room, looked at Yan Qingqiu, and said nothing. The doctor went back into the room with Yan Qingqiu to complete her exam.

The report came out immediately.

The doctor looked at her. "When you get the chance, ask your friend for my number."

Yan Qingqiu was so moved she almost teared up. "You're such a good person."

"It's nothing." The doctor held up the film, examining it repeatedly, then used a cotton swab to dab at Yan Qingqiu's gland fluid. "I'll take this back for testing first. I'll contact you if anything comes up. Don't be too nervous."

"Understood." Yan Qingqiu hurried out.

Song Qingre looked at her empty hands. "Where's your report?"

"The doctor said I'm so A that the report will take longer to come out. She even ran a test on me just now. Ugh, too A." Yan Qingqiu smiled, her face betraying no blush. "You didn't get tested, right."

The door wasn't fully shut, and the doctor inside, tidying up, almost choked on her own breath.

The nurse asked, "With her acting like that... won't she get caught?"

The doctor said, "What do you think? I changed my gloves, and I still got a reaction out of that alpha. If that miss Song doesn't know, I'll eat my hat. She's probably just keeping quiet because there are too many people around and she doesn't want to embarrass her."

The nurse was floored. "The omega who walked in offering us hush money didn't say she was an alpha?"

Doctor Qiao recalled Su Xingjie's serious expression and how she'd taken out a card, and laughed. "This one... probably genuinely believes she's an alpha."

The nurse had seen everything today. "...She reacted even through the gloves?"

"Their pheromone compatibility might be extremely high. Since she's a secondary differentiation, and possibly an SSS-rank omega... it's too dangerous for them to stay near each other right now. They can't be together. I'll run the tests as soon as I get back, and check their compatibility too." The doctor could hear the coy, boastful voice outside and couldn't help chuckling. The nurse said, "Should we close the door? Even I'm getting embarrassed listening to this..."

Outside, Yan Qingqiu said to Song Qingre, "The doctor barely touched you and you got a reaction. How are you so sensitive? You're so weak. Look at me—I'm bouncing around."

Yan Qingqiu was half tempted to do a backflip on the spot. The two of them exited the room, and now that she could finally breathe easy after staying up all night worrying under Song Qingre's scrutiny, Yan Qingqiu spotted Su Xingjie in the living room watching a fashion show. Still, she stuck to Song Qingre's side, rubbing it in. "What do you say? You're always trying to trip me up. Is it because you know you're not high-ranked, so you're compensating?"

Song Qingre stopped for a moment, exhaled, and looked at her with eyes that seemed very dark and somewhat lost.

Then she looked toward the stairs, and Yan Qingqiu followed her up.

At the top of the stairs, Yan Qingqiu had no intention of getting any closer. She said a couple more things and was about to head back downstairs, calling out, "Xing—"

Song Qingre reached out, grabbed her wrist, turned a corner, and shoved her into a room. Yan Qingqiu hadn't expected her to dare do this in broad daylight. Panicked, she moved to run out, reaching for the doorknob. But Song Qingre was faster, catching her wrist and pinning her against the door.

Before Yan Qingqiu could react, her face was against the door. "Song Qingre, let go! Can't win an argument so you're going to hit me?!"

She felt a touch at the back of her neck. Song Qingre pressed her thumb against her gland. This time, a little of the fluid had seeped through, slightly sticky against her fingertip.

When she'd been examined earlier, Yan Qingqiu had washed her gland clean.

Song Qingre's nose was filled with a scent she couldn't quite identify, but it was wonderfully fragrant—like a ripe fruit with a puncture wound, dripping honey.

Her thumb pressed against the gland at the back of Yan Qingqiu's neck.

Ever since she'd walked out of the exam room, Yan Qingqiu's neck had carried a thread, a scent line trailing around her, ready to be caught by any other alpha at any moment.

Yan Qingqiu caught the intense citrus pheromone smell. This was Song Qingre's room—an omega, daring to waltz into an alpha's lair.

Instinctively, the back of her neck burned. Damn it, her legs were shaking hard. She'd managed to keep up her alpha act this whole time—she couldn't fail now. And she remembered the doctor's warning, so she threatened, "I'm telling you, my dad's coming home. If you dare bite me... I'll tell my dad."

Song Qingre froze slightly, not quite understanding. "Tell him what?"

"Tell him... you don't follow alpha ethics." Yan Qingqiu ground out. She felt Song Qingre's grip ease a little and tried to break free. Song Qingre let her, releasing her hold. Yan Qingqiu blinked, a pool of bright spring water rippling, the corners of her eyes flushed red.

Song Qingre closed her eyes for just two seconds, then flipped her back around. "On your knees. Stay down."

Holding back her frustration, Song Qingre spoke gently. "Stay in this room. Don't come out until everyone's gone. Don't go causing trouble."

"Listen."

Song Qingre softened a degree, and Yan Qingqiu's heart went soft and fuzzy—but her mouth, as always, stiffened right back. "I'm going out." Being in an alpha's room was far too dangerous. She was about to say that even if she went back, she'd go to her own room.

Her thigh stung.

Song Qingre raised her palm and smacked her square on the leg. The slap wasn't hard, but it sent the proud Yan Qingqiu sliding down, her knee banging against the door. Song Qingre had to press harder on her wrist to keep her from falling entirely.

This time, Yan Qingqiu was genuinely aggrieved. She slid down, her body trembling, her voice slightly pained. "I... I really am going to tell my dad... You hit me..."