Chapter 14
"Come and eat." Song Jinzhi had been in a daze for a moment before recalling why she had come over. Hearing her call, Gu Sijiu patted Hanhan on the head and prepared to go wash her hands. Who knew the dog had gotten so attached to her while playing that it held onto the hem of her dress and wouldn't let go. Seeing this, Song Jinzhi's expression turned sour. From the moment she had arrived until now, Hanhan had seen her but hadn't come to act coy; instead, it had been clinging to Gu Sijiu the whole time. Song Jinzhi gave a cold snort and turned to leave without even glancing at Hanhan. She was entitled to a little temper too, wasn't she?
When they sat down to eat, Father Song and Mother Song had instructed the servants to prepare many of Gu Sijiu's favorite dishes, mostly meat based. Gu Sijiu did not know whether the original host had truly liked these things. She herself absolutely detested such heavy, meaty dishes. The meat hadn't been cooked with any finesse; although the ingredients were top quality, the flavor was somewhat hard to swallow.
In her previous world, Gu Sijiu had often cooked for herself. She considered her culinary skills not quite on par with a five star chef, but certainly not far behind. Yet many of the dishes in this world surpassed the lower limits of what she considered food. To make matters worse, Mother Song enthusiastically piled a bowl full of meat onto her plate. Gu Sijiu chewed the food like wax, and as she continued eating, her eyes eventually grew glazed and vacant.
Sitting beside her, Song Jinzhi took note of her reaction. She realized that Gu Sijiu did not enjoy the food but was forcing herself to eat it anyway. Somehow, she found the sight of Gu Sijiu suffering in silence quite amusing. After the meal, Mother Song suggested the two of them stay the night. She wanted Song Jinzhi and Gu Sijiu to sleep together, but Song Jinzhi insisted that Gu Sijiu sleep in the guest room.
"Xiao Gu, just rest in the guest room for the night." Seeing how adamant Song Jinzhi was about sleeping separately, Father Song looked somewhat puzzled. He shot Mother Song a pointed look, and she understood immediately, instructing a servant to lead Gu Sijiu to the guest room while she herself pulled Song Jinzhi into her room.
"Mom, I'm very tired. I want to rest." Song Jinzhi could clearly tell her mother had something to say, and it was definitely not something she wanted to hear. Mother Song glanced at her, her expression turning somewhat displeased.
"You child, it's been so long since I've seen you. Can't I be concerned? I just wanted to ask, you and Xiao Gu still haven't... sealed the deal? During your previous heats, were you just using suppressants?"
Mother Song was a woman of experience. She knew that Omegas lost all rationality during their heat, wanting nothing but carnal pleasure. That kind of torment was hard to bear. She had assumed that once her daughter found a desirable partner, she would have long since been free of such troubles. Now, it seemed things were not as she had imagined.
"Mom, I... I don't want that yet, for now." Song Jinzhi had not expected her mother to broach that subject right off the bat. Her face flushed red, and her heart thumped with embarrassment. Song Jinzhi was a normal Omega, and naturally, she experienced the heats that all Omegas endured. She understood how agonizing that ordeal was. Back when she lived with Gu Sijiu, she had always been especially careful whenever her heat approached.
She would preemptively inject suppressants to control her pheromones, even going so far as to not dare open her door to eat, terrified that Gu Sijiu would catch her scent and lose control. She remembered one time when Gu Sijiu had barged in, attempting to mark her during her heat. Had she not threatened to jump off the balcony at the time, she would have long since been forcibly marked. Thinking of this, Song Jinzhi felt both helpless and resentful. She was angry at her own powerlessness as an Omega, yet also saddened that she could not have a lover who genuinely liked her. Song Jinzhi's low spirits were written all over her face. Seeing this, Mother Song did not press further. She merely patted her comfortingly on the shoulder and left.
That night, Song Jinzhi slept very soundly. Having returned home after a long absence, she slept in until ten in the morning, which was rare for her. Throwing on a robe, she went downstairs and discovered Gu Sijiu already there, chatting with her parents about something. They looked like they were having a pleasant conversation, laughing together from time to time.
"Xiao Jin, you're finally awake. Your father and I were just discussing taking a day to relax at a hot springs inn. That inn belongs to one of your father's old classmates. It hasn't officially opened yet, so this is a perfect chance for us to test it out first." Mother Song smiled as she saw Song Jinzhi come downstairs. Gu Sijiu was rather tempted by the idea. She figured the hot springs in this world were probably better than the ones in her own world, so she was naturally inclined to give them a try.
Instinctively, Song Jinzhi wanted to refuse, especially since she did not want to go with Gu Sijiu. But when she looked up and saw the unwavering resolve in her two parents' eyes, combined with the eager expression on Gu Sijiu's face, the situation was clearly three against one. She had no chance of winning. Left with no choice, Song Jinzhi could only nod in agreement. The plan was set. When it was time to get in the car, Gu Sijiu and Song Jinzhi rode with Uncle Zhang, while Father Song and Mother Song followed separately in another vehicle.
The hot springs inn was in a relatively remote location, about a two hour drive assuming no traffic. Gu Sijiu and Song Jinzhi climbed into the back seat one after the other, and Uncle Zhang habitually switched on the air purifier. Gu Sijiu glanced at Song Jinzhi, who was leaning against the opposite door, and then closed her own eyes to rest as well.
After learning about pheromones and heats, Gu Sijiu finally understood just how sensitive Alphas and Omegas were to each other's scents. She recalled that she had always found Song Jinzhi's scent very fragrant. At one point, she had thought it was merely an illusion, but the truth was, Song Jinzhi genuinely smelled wonderful. It was a scent that held an incredibly powerful attraction for her; every time she caught a whiff of it, Gu Sijiu had the urge to lean in close and breathe deeply, or simply be nearer to Song Jinzhi.
Over two hours later, the pair arrived as planned at the so called hot springs inn. They had intended to wait downstairs for a while for Father and Mother Song, but a receptionist eagerly ushered them upstairs without delay. Along the way, Gu Sijiu surveyed the inn. Although the location was secluded, the decor was exquisite. The interior featured high quality wooden floors, free of any residual processing material odor, bearing instead a faint, pleasant fragrance.
The two of them intended to regroup with Father and Mother Song first, but the receptionist informed them that currently, they were the only guests at the inn, and that the two elders had not arrived at all. At this point, Song Jinzhi finally sensed something was amiss. She hurriedly dialed her father's number. The call connected almost immediately, as if he had been anticipating it all along.
"Dad, Gu Sijiu and I have arrived, but the receptionist says you and Mom aren't here..."
"Cough... Here's the thing. Your mother and I were originally following behind you, but then something urgent came up at the company, so we had to return first. You two enjoy yourselves. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll send your Uncle Zhang over to pick you up."
Father Song hung up as soon as he finished speaking, unwilling to draw out the conversation. Song Jinzhi stared blankly at the darkened screen of her phone, completely taken aback. She had never imagined her own parents would resort to such tactics to push her and Gu Sijiu together.
She understood the implication behind her father's words: Uncle Zhang had long since departed. Out here in the middle of nowhere, there would certainly be no way to hail a car. In the past, Song Jinzhi could have simply called her secretary to drive out and fetch her, but now... she had been away from Song Corporation for so long, and her father had surely given instructions forbidding anyone from coming to get her. Thinking of all this, Song Jinzhi felt a headache coming on, especially when she realized she might very likely have to share a room with Gu Sijiu that night.
"What's wrong? They didn't come?" Gu Sijiu had been listening to Song Jinzhi's side of the conversation and gathered that something had happened. Without explaining much, Song Jinzhi merely said they weren't coming and walked ahead into the reception area. She asked the receptionist if there were any other rooms available, but the receptionist claimed that all the other rooms were locked and they had no keys. In other words, the only habitable space here was this room.
Song Jinzhi looked at the double bed in the room, her expression tinged with coldness. She finally understood her parents' scheme. They not only wanted her and Gu Sijiu to be stuck here together, but they also wanted them to share a single room. Truly, they had gone to such great lengths. Song Jinzhi set down the few belongings she had brought with her and began pondering how she would handle the night ahead. Gu Sijiu, on the other hand, did not share her many misgivings. She sprawled lazily on the sofa, stretching her body out.
"Wooden Face, I'm going to go soak in the hot spring for a bit. Want to join?" Gu Sijiu checked the time. She wasn't particularly hungry and had no intention of eating, so she decided to relax in the hot spring first. Hearing this, Song Jinzhi looked at her warily. Noticing the cautious gaze, Gu Sijiu ran her hand through her hair and gave a light scoff.
"I was just asking casually. Don't want to go? Fine. A good looking, good smelling Alpha like me can't just casually bathe with an Omega." Gu Sijiu said this deliberately. She could understand Song Jinzhi's loathing for the original host, but she refused to shoulder the blame for that scumbag's actions. Gu Sijiu grabbed her toiletries and turned to leave. Watching her retreating figure, Song Jinzhi clutched the bedsheets tightly, her brow furrowing almost to the point of knotting together. She knew that skipping a bath tonight was absolutely out of the question, but the sleepwear provided here consisted solely of bathrobes. She had to share a room with Gu Sijiu, and wearing something like that was clearly unsafe.
Song Jinzhi mulled over her options in her mind, sitting in the room for over an hour. Noticing that Gu Sijiu had yet to return, she wondered why the other woman was taking so long. It wasn't that she cared about her, but since they had come out here together, if anything happened to her, Song Jinzhi would also face trouble. With this thought in mind, Song Jinzhi got up and made her way toward the hot spring pool.
She pushed aside the curtain and was immediately engulfed by the steam, which flushed her cheeks a faint pink. She walked further in and saw a blurred figure slumped over the edge of the hot spring pool. It was clearly Gu Sijiu, who had fallen asleep mid soak. Perhaps from soaking too long, her pale cheeks had been steamed a deep red by the hot water. Tiny beads of moisture clung to her delicate nose, and her long, deep cherry hair spread out in the water, lending her an unexpected, distinctive beauty. In slumber, Gu Sijiu appeared utterly harmless; there was simply no way to associate her with that violent scumbag of the past.
Song Jinzhi had only been there a short while before she realized how hot it was inside the spring area, and that the air was saturated with the scent of Gu Sijiu's pheromones. That faint peppermint fragrance, mingled with a crisp hint of lemon, made her head spin and her legs go weak. Reaching out, Song Jinzhi pinched Gu Sijiu hard on the shoulder. Gu Sijiu had been sleeping comfortably when she was suddenly jolted awake, so startled that she shot upright out of the water.
It was then that Song Jinzhi saw the swimsuit the other woman had brought. It wasn't a particularly revealing style; in fact, it was quite the opposite of what one might expect from her. She wore a one piece, pale pink swimsuit, a very ordinary cut, but on the chest were two cute little strawberry patterns, positioned right over those two raised points. As she watched, the two strawberries on Gu Sijiu's chest bulged outward, clearly pushed up by something. No imagination was needed to figure out what.
Song Jinzhi found the sight intensely erotic. Even though Gu Sijiu was thoroughly covered and the swimsuit was quite conservative, Song Jinzhi couldn't help but feel this person was immodest and utterly shameless...
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