Chapter 13
"Back so early?" Gu Sijiu was puzzled to see Song Jinzhi return so soon. In her eyes, since Song Jinzhi had dressed up so elaborately, she must be attending some kind of banquet. She thought Song Jinzhi would be home around 11 at the earliest, but it was only 10 now.
Gu Sijiu swirled the warmed milk in her glass and took a sip. She had to admit, while this world's food was terrible, the milk was far better than in her original world. The milk here was clear and sweet, rich yet without any milky odor, and felt wonderful going down. Gu Sijiu had fallen in love with the milk since arriving, and along with the original host's chest being rather unsightly, drinking milk daily had become part of her routine.
Song Jinzhi took off her high heels and looked at Gu Sijiu half reclining on the sofa. She could understand the person drinking milk before bed, but couldn't fathom what drinking milk from a wine glass meant. Seeing her swirl the glass, lift her chin slightly, and sip in small mouthfuls, as if tasting wine, Song Jinzhi found the scene utterly bizarre no matter how she looked at it, especially given the dress Gu Sijiu was wearing, both coquettish and revealing.
In the past, Song Jinzhi had bought sexy dresses herself. If such a dress were worn by any Omega or Beta, she wouldn't find it strange. But Gu Sijiu, this person, had never worn a dress before when they first knew each other. Now, she had even swapped her military uniform for all sorts of sexy dresses. Song Jinzhi wasn't particularly interested in Gu Sijiu's transformation.
She turned around, went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, and when she turned back, found Gu Sijiu had actually followed her into the kitchen. Song Jinzhi instinctively stepped back to create distance, then saw Gu Sijiu clean the wine glass and come over to her side. Gu Sijiu's face held a trace of confusion; she then sniffed her nose and scented the air around Song Jinzhi a few times.
Gu Sijiu's actions startled Song Jinzhi, instantly reviving unpleasant memories. Pheromones were a strange thing; if an Omega and Alpha had no physical contact, they wouldn't leave their scents on each other. But once they had even slight contact, traces would linger on the other, and the longer and more intimate the contact, the stronger the pheromone scent would be. The old Gu Sijiu had been like this too. Whenever she had any contact with other Alphas at work, Gu Sijiu would question her sarcastically, asking if she was so desperate that she wanted to find a new partner and looked down on a defective Alpha like herself. Song Jinzhi had heard the filthiest words of her life from her. She wasn't afraid of Gu Sijiu, but she didn't want to hear such things again, so she tried to avoid contact with other Alphas.
She hadn't expected tonight's accident.
Song Jinzhi tensed up. Her face remained calm, but she habitually folded her arms across her chest in a protective gesture. Seeing her reaction, Gu Sijiu tilted her head. She smelled another Alpha's scent on Song Jinzhi, amidst the hibiscus fragrance, there was a faint trace of tea scent, crisp and clear, refreshing and transparent. Alpha instinct made her curious enough to come over and sniff.
Gu Sijiu wasn't suspicious or jealous, after all, she still didn't understand pheromones well, and what Song Jinzhi did with others was absolutely none of her business. Gu Sijiu just found that tea scent very pleasant, so she sniffed a few more times.
"You have a faint tea scent on you." Gu Sijiu straightened up and said softly. Though she still wore a slight smile and her eyes showed no gloom, Song Jinzhi's heart skipped a beat at those words. She glanced at Gu Sijiu calmly and took a few steps toward the kitchen doorway.
"Is that so? I met a friend with A Yu today. I almost fell, and she supported me."
"Oh, that friend, she must be an Alpha, right?" Gu Sijiu asked casually, little knowing that her question made Song Jinzhi's breathing slow.
Song Jinzhi's gaze wandered around the living room, mentally calculating what she could use to fight back if Gu Sijiu went crazy and attacked. But the next second, what Gu Sijiu said left Song Jinzhi frozen in place, forgetting to think.
"The scent is actually quite nice." Gu Sijiu finished speaking and winked at her over her shoulder. Song Jinzhi felt both relieved and weird. She hurried upstairs, and once out of Gu Sijiu's sight, she even broke into a little run. She fled back to her room and immediately locked the door. Feeling a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead, Song Jinzhi awkwardly pursed her lips. She hadn't expected to be so nervous, truly acting like someone with a guilty conscience.
That night passed peacefully. Gu Sijiu didn't come to question her, so much so that before bed, Song Jinzhi was still wondering why Gu Sijiu hadn't pursued the matter of her carrying another Alpha's pheromones. In the past, if she had even a hint of someone else's scent on her, that person would fly into a rage. But Gu Sijiu's current behavior was truly too mild.
The next morning, just after waking up, Song Jinzhi got a call from her parents. They said it had been a while since they'd seen her, and asked her and Gu Sijiu to come home when they had time. Song Jinzhi noticed that her mother said 'they,' not just 'her,' meaning she wanted her to bring Gu Sijiu along. Taking Gu Sijiu to dinner at home was something Song Jinzhi wished to avoid a thousand, ten thousand times. But she also knew that if she didn't bring Gu Sijiu, her parents would call Gu Sijiu and invite her over anyway, making her seem rude.
So Song Jinzhi thought it over and still informed Gu Sijiu that tonight she needed to come home with her for dinner. Gu Sijiu nodded. This was her first visit to Song Jinzhi's home since arriving in this world. She asked Shan Ni'er to help her buy some gifts, and before leaving, she started dressing up. Gu Sijiu felt that she was no longer the old Song Jinzhi's original partner, she had no intention of developing anything further with Song Jinzhi. But when meeting elders, one couldn't be careless.
Song Jinzhi glanced at her phone for the third time and fixed an impatient stare at Gu Sijiu sitting in front of the makeup mirror. If she remembered correctly, the person had been fussing at the vanity for a full hour.
Song Jinzhi wasn't against Alphas wearing makeup in general; she knew plenty of Alphas who put on makeup for business banquets and the like as a matter of etiquette. But as a soldier, Gu Sijiu used to rarely wear such heavy makeup. Song Jinzhi had noticed Gu Sijiu's oddity not for a day or two. Ever since that day when she came back after getting her hair done, it was like some special switch had been flipped. Song Jinzhi had seen her putting on face masks at night more than once, and whenever she had time, she'd go to beauty salons for facial massages. She packed away many military uniforms, and her wardrobe now hung with bright dresses and high heels. Even her handbag had changed.
Now, with her legs crossed at the vanity, she wore an even more vibrant red off shoulder dress than last night. Gu Sijiu's skin was very fair, and compared to most Alphas, her shoulders looked more rounded and delicate. The inverted pear shaped collarbones below matched the red dress beautifully. Her long hair was loose, and her exquisite makeup made her naturally stunning face even more striking. Noticing Song Jinzhi's gaze, Gu Sijiu looked up and smiled at her, reached up to fluff her hair, and twisted her waist.
Song Jinzhi watched her actions, and a surge of irritation and disgust welled up within her for no apparent reason. She felt that everything Gu Sijiu was doing now was deliberately meant to disgust or provoke her.
"Are you done yet? The appointed time is almost here. I don't want to keep the elders waiting too long," Song Jinzhi said in a low voice, her words laced with undisguised disdain. Gu Sijiu raised an eyebrow and lightly brushed her brows with a brow brush. "Today we're dining at your house. No matter what, we're nominally a couple. You wouldn't want me to embarrass you, would you? You're an Omega and you haven't even bothered to dress up. Is it because no matter how you dress, you can only be my foil, so you've simply given up?"
Gu Sijiu spoke in a coquettish, sickeningly sweet voice that made Song Jinzhi's skin crawl. Song Jinzhi decided to just avoid the sight, walking out to the garden alone to get some fresh air. Seeing her leave, Gu Sijiu finished setting her makeup, struck a few poses in the mirror, and once satisfied, went to call Song Jinzhi to leave together.
Their marital home wasn't far from the Song family residence, only a thirty minute drive. When they arrived, Gu Sijiu presented the gifts she'd bought to Father Song and Mother Song. The elderly couple happily welcomed them in. The Song family's business was vast, with considerable status and wealth in the business world, yet the old Song residence was decorated in a very understated manner. The interior was simple, with cozy decor that perfectly offset the coldness of a large house. After Gu Sijiu chatted with Father and Mother Song for a while, the elderly couple went to rest, leaving Song Jinzhi and Gu Sijiu to wander around, saying dinner would be soon. Gu Sijiu naturally knew that Song Jinzhi had no interest in strolling the Song residence with her, so she went to the garden alone to pass the time.
Gu Sijiu walked in her high heels on the grass, and suddenly a pure white Border collie came running from a distance. Its coat was neatly groomed, spotlessly white, and it smelled fragrant, clearly very well cared for. It wore a red collar with cute bone patterns. The dog came up and sniffed her first, then circled her a few times, as if confirming something. Seeing it, Gu Sijiu's heart softened. She was very fond of cats and dogs, but because of her cleanliness obsession, her previous attempts to keep a pet had always failed. This world's advanced technology had potions and vaccines to remove pet odors and parasites. This dog was very clean, with no animal smell at all, carrying a fresh, light fragrance.
Gu Sijiu saw it looking at her with its dark eyes and couldn't help half squatting down, waving at it. "Hanhan, come here, let me pet you," Gu Sijiu said softly. She knew from the original host's memory that this dog was called Hanhan. Though not entirely sure, when she called the name, the dog really did obediently come bounding over. Seeing it lying in front of her, wagging its tail, Gu Sijiu stroked its head and smoothed its fur, feeling that this dog seemed to understand her words, being extremely well behaved.
In the garden, Gu Sijiu lost track of time playing with Hanhan, until Song Jinzhi came to call her for dinner and saw the harmonious scene of human and dog.
Watching Hanhan, whom she had raised since puppyhood, now lying on the ground letting Gu Sijiu rub its belly, and looking thoroughly delighted, the sight was indescribably strange. Song Jinzhi knew very well that Gu Sijiu didn't like dogs. In the past, when she came to her home, she only pretended to be friendly. Dogs are sensitive animals; they know best whether a human truly likes them. Hanhan had always detested Gu Sijiu and would bark nonstop whenever it saw her, a threatening bark, a gesture of a pet protecting its owner. Back then, Song Jinzhi hadn't understood why Hanhan did that, but after seeing Gu Sijiu's true colors, she understood. Now, seeing Hanhan, who used to only bark fiercely at Gu Sijiu, suddenly become so docile and even play with her, Song Jinzhi felt a mix of suspicion and dissatisfaction toward her own dog. It felt like being betrayed by a child she had raised. Thinking this, Song Jinzhi frowned and walked over, her mood complicated as she looked at Hanhan cuddling with Gu Sijiu.
Hanhan, you've changed.
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