Chapter 71
After seeing the doctor off, the Alphas in the room gathered around a few suppressants, each with a troubled expression.
“...What should we do?” Ling Jing spoke first, looking like she was about to cry. “From what the doctor said, does that mean we can only keep giving Zhuang Chi suppressants? But...”
“But her gland is already injured. If we use too many suppressants now, then...” An Chen’s brows were tightly furrowed. He hesitated, holding a suppressant, unable to bring himself to use it. He glanced in Zhuang Chi’s direction. “Why don’t we ask her what she wants to do...?”
“Don’t be foolish. What good would asking again do? Besides, she’ll definitely insist on taking the suppressants. That’s just how she is. It’s not like you’ve only known her for a day.”
Lou Che shook his head. He was the furthest from Zhuang Chi among everyone present, yet he still seemed the most uncomfortable and had put on a mask. “...Let me ask something. How do you all feel staying in here? Am I the only one who feels unwell?”
“No, I feel it a little too...”
Ling Jing ruffled her hair, slightly irritated, and mumbled, “...After all, susceptible periods come in waves. It feels like, timing-wise, Zhuang Chi is at the peak of the first wave—but then again, even so, isn’t the pheromone concentration in here a bit too high? It’s like drinking an espresso through my nose! It’s making me want to release some of my own pheromones to counter it...”
“Stop it.” An Chen, also feeling dizzy, rubbed his temples and stopped her. “We really don’t know what kind of chain reaction that would cause... By the way, what do your pheromones smell like?”
“...” Ling Jing was inexplicably hesitant. Instead of answering, she asked back, “You first. What do you smell like?”
“Oh, I’m black tea.”
“Ah, that’s nice.” Olivia, who was taking care of Zhuang Chi, looked up. “My scent is milk. Sometimes I feel like it’s too childish...”
“...Why are they all drinks?” Ling Jing raised an eyebrow and reluctantly confessed, “I’m cake... cream cake—what the heck, the few of us together are practically an afternoon tea party!”
Including Zhuang Chi’s “coffee,” it wasn’t out of place at all; the compatibility was quite high. The three of them turned in unison to look at the silent Lou Che, who was startled by their inquisitive gazes. He raised his hands and confessed frankly, “My scent is cedarwood. Not afternoon tea. Sorry.”
“Why are you the only one who sounds like a powerful Alpha?!”
Clearly heavily influenced by Zhuang Chi’s pheromones, the dazed Alphas argued for a while about their respective pheromone scents before stopping resentfully, not knowing why they were arguing about such a thing at a critical moment like this. An Chen walked to the sink, washed his face several times, and took a deep breath. “...This can’t go on. Our minds are all getting weird. We need to decide what to do as soon as possible.”
“Even if you say that, we don’t have any other options!” Ling Jing grew irritable. She had unwrapped a piece of hard candy and put it in her mouth to try and stay calm, but now she was crunching it loudly. “That little princess couldn’t appear here right now even if she sprouted wings. Damn it... Is she really the only one who can help? Who ever heard of such a thing...?”
“...”
An Chen was also at a loss. As he frowned, he suddenly heard Lou Che’s muffled voice. “...Do you think it would work if another Omega soothed Zhuang Chi?”
Their hearts skipped a beat. The same name probably surfaced in all their minds. In a panic, they all looked at Lou Che, who had said something so shocking. But they saw that he didn’t say Gu Ximian’s name as they had expected. Instead, he slowly pulled a very colorful little card from his pocket, examined it closely, and explained to them, “I saw someone handing out these little cards at the museum entrance before. I was a bit curious, so I took one. It says, ‘Hot Omegas of your choice, just one call and they’ll come to your door.’ Hey, does anyone know if this is reliable? Maybe we should give it a try—”
“Stop it, Lou Che?! Don’t you dare harm Zhuang Chi!”
And don’t harm his family’s hotel! An Chen’s face paled in horror. He lunged forward and snatched the little card, which by all appearances was from an illegal establishment, from Lou Che’s hand. Without hesitation, he crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can. Lou Che, however, still looked clueless, gazing at him with exceptionally clear eyes, expressing his confusion. “...Why? It’s just asking another Omega for a little help. How is that harming Zhuang Chi?”
Sometimes, it really felt like there was only a fine line between a genius and an idiot. An Chen’s entire face turned red, his lips trembling as he didn’t know where to begin explaining. Damn it, Lou Che must have never properly learned about common sense! If they really did something like that, he didn’t know if they’d be dealt with by Ximian first or the police—
“...It doesn’t necessarily have to be an Omega, right?”
An Chen was racking his brain when he heard a sentence, as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, from Olivia’s direction. It made him choke up, and he slowly turned to look at her. The blonde princess had her head slightly lowered, her sapphire-like eyes fixed unblinkingly on Zhuang Chi on the bed. Her posture was ramrod straight, and the hand she had placed on the bed was now clenched tightly, revealing her turbulent emotions.
“I...” Feeling the gazes of the others behind her, Olivia hesitated for a long moment before speaking softly, “...I studied it a while ago. During an Alpha’s susceptible period... how another Alpha can help alleviate it.”
“?!”
For a moment, everyone was stunned. Olivia bit her lip and added in a low voice, “...Although it can’t be as natural as with an Omega, there is a way. And...”
She paused, then continued, “...And Lily and I are cousins. I just asked the doctor on the phone, and she said that relatives’ pheromones have similar components. So, so maybe my pheromones can also help Zhuang Chi...”
The other three didn’t know what to say. They looked at each other, only seeing their mutual helplessness. They could only watch as Olivia lowered her head slightly and said softly to Zhuang Chi, “...Of course, first, I need to get your consent.”
Zhuang Chi had heard everything that was just said.
When Lou Che suggested finding an escort service, she had actually wanted to jump up and stop him. Fortunately, An Chen, the person with common sense, had stopped him for her. But now, just a few minutes after feeling relieved, she heard Olivia’s unexpected proposal. Zhuang Chi raised her eyes to look at her and saw the focus and nervousness in her beautiful eyes as she waited single-mindedly for her answer.
...An Alpha helping another Alpha alleviate their susceptible period, Zhuang Chi thought. There’s a method like that? And Olivia specifically studied it...?
Gradually realizing the deeper meaning behind this act, Zhuang Chi couldn’t describe her current feelings, but she still intended to shake her head and refuse. However, before she could, Olivia spoke first. “Don’t be so quick to refuse me, Zhuang Chi. I know this is very sudden, I...”
“...” Olivia was silent for a long moment, then suddenly lowered her head, her voice soft. “...I never thought I’d say something like this one day. If only I were an Omega.”
“This is just an emergency measure for a critical situation. It has nothing to do with anything else. You’re just choosing between the suppressant and me. After this is over... we’ll pretend nothing happened.” Olivia bit her lower lip, wanting to reach out and grab Zhuang Chi’s hand, but she hesitated and stopped. In the end, she just said, “...Choose me, Zhuang Chi. You can do whatever you want. You can even treat me as an Omega. I—”
“Knock, knock.”
Just then, a knock came from the door. The sound wasn’t loud, but it made everyone in the room jolt.
Zhuang Chi’s eyes flew open. She lowered her voice and said, “...Nobody say anything yet.”
The person at the door waited patiently for a moment, then knocked again. The others didn’t dare to even breathe, let alone get up to open the door. They could only exchange terrified glances, because they all immediately realized that there was only one person who would knock on Zhuang Chi’s door like this at this time.
“Zhuang Chi? Are you in there? Did you see the message I just sent you? You—”
The familiar, cool voice came through the door. The people in the room groaned inwardly, deciding to just pretend no one was there and get through this moment first. But then they heard the voice suddenly stop mid-sentence. While they were wondering, the voice started again, much more serious than before, its tone heavy and irrefutable.
“Open the door.” Gu Ximian’s voice was heavy and concise. “I can smell your pheromones. Your susceptible period has started, hasn’t it?”
...This is terrible, Zhuang Chi thought melancholically. Did they drift out from under the door...? She can even smell them at this level? Gu Ximian is really amazing...
This isn’t the time to praise her. What do I do now? If I keep pretending no one’s in the room, I feel like I’ll make Gu Ximian angry. Zhuang Chi was at a loss, but also confused. Why would Gu Ximian want her to open the door when she already guessed it was her susceptible period? Shouldn’t she be getting as far away as possible?
Thinking this, she figured Gu Ximian probably thought she was here alone with no one to look after her. She should feel relieved once she sees Ling Jing and the others are here. So Zhuang Chi looked at the silent-as-cicadas-in-winter Alphas and said in a small voice, “...Can you guys go tell her that I’m fine, but it’s dangerous for her to come in, so she should go back first?”
She didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she said, but the Alphas looked troubled after hearing it. Ling Jing looked at her, then at the door, and walked over to crouch by her side with a mournful expression. She whispered back, “That won’t work, Zhuang Chi. Gu Ximian won’t listen to us. When it comes to you, she won’t easily believe a phrase like ‘I’m fine’...”
And just then, Olivia, who had been sitting by Zhuang Chi’s bedside, suddenly stood up and walked silently toward the door. Ling Jing couldn’t stop her in time and watched her go with a horrified, end-of-the-world expression. She quickly turned back and gently shook Zhuang Chi. Although she didn’t say a word, her face was filled with an urgency that screamed, “Say something, quick, or we’re all doomed!”
Zhuang Chi’s reaction wasn’t that fast. While she was still trying to understand what Ling Jing meant, Olivia had already reached the door and opened it decisively. But she only opened it halfway, blocking the entrance with her own body to stop Gu Ximian, who was about to walk right in.
“...Gu Ximian, listen to me first,” Olivia said, gripping the doorknob and taking a shallow breath to explain. “Zhuang Chi has indeed entered her susceptible period. But it seems she really has a pheromone addiction; the suppressants haven’t worked so far. The concentration of her pheromones in the room is very high. It’s better if you don’t come in for now. An Omega will definitely be affected.”
“...”
Gu Ximian’s figure stiffened. She shot a look at Olivia, and after a long stalemate, she slowly looked into the room.
“...She’s addicted?” As if asking a question, yet also as if muttering to herself, Gu Ximian said softly, “Zhuang Chi... is addicted to Lily’s pheromones?”
“That’s what the doctor said.” Olivia’s lips were pressed into a pale line as she said softly, “There are only two options now. One is to continue giving her suppressants, and the other is...”
She swallowed with difficulty, her voice carrying an almost inaudible tremor. “...The second is for me to soothe Zhuang Chi.”
“—”
Gu Ximian’s breath caught. She instantly looked back at Olivia, her gaze so cold it felt tangible, making Olivia shudder. Yet, she stood her ground at the door, not avoiding her gaze.
“You?” Gu Ximian said softly. Her tone sounded calm, but it held a hidden chill. “On what grounds?”
“...Because my pheromones might have similar components to Lily’s,” Olivia responded, her fingers on the doorknob curling uncomfortably. “And Lily isn’t here right now. This is just a stopgap measure to help Zhuang Chi get through this difficult time. We can’t just let her keep taking suppressants; too high a dose will definitely harm her body. So this is the only way right now, I...”
She rambled on, but Gu Ximian remained silent. She clearly hadn’t said anything, and her expression was placid, yet it made Olivia feel as if she had glimpsed a cool-toned fire burning within a glacier, and a silent tide was rising, about to crash violently against the ice in the next second.
Olivia gradually fell silent. After a long pause, Gu Ximian suddenly smiled.
“There are no other options?”
She asked, her gaze unfocused, landing on the empty air as if confirming something, or perhaps talking to herself. Olivia’s heart tightened. Just as she was about to nod, she saw Gu Ximian shake her head as if answering her own question. The smile on her face was gentle and charming, but her eyes were as deep as a starless night.
“How could that be,”
Gu Ximian slowly raised her hand, letting it rest lightly on the choker around her neck. She said softly, “Isn’t there still me?”
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