Chapter 31
Gu Sijiu sat on Song Jinzhi's bed and carefully sorted through the events of the night before. She'd had some drinks yesterday afternoon; with her alcohol tolerance, it shouldn't have been a problem. But after drinking, she'd felt her body heating up, and the heat grew even fiercer when she saw Song Jinzhi come back. Gu Sijiu knew Alphas had heat periods, and she'd read in the original host's memories that Alpha heats were rare. She never expected she'd run into one so soon after arriving.
To be honest, being in heat was not pleasant. That feeling of her body being controlled by desire made Gu Sijiu feel like an animal, knowing only to obey its primal urges. Although she was angry that Song Jinzhi had hit her and even let her sleep on the floor all night, Gu Sijiu was also grateful that Song Jinzhi had knocked her out, stopping anything further from happening between them.
Once she'd mentally sorted out the whole story, Gu Sijiu glanced at Song Jinzhi's bed and caught the lingering scent in the room. The space should have been full of Song Jinzhi's scent, but because she'd stayed in the room all day, her own presence had masked a lot of it. Gu Sijiu didn't linger; she pushed the door open and went back to her own room. She washed up, rubbed her aching body, and went downstairs.
There was no one downstairs, just two breakfasts the maid had set out on the table. Gu Sijiu sat down on one side. After about twenty minutes, Song Jinzhi finally came down from upstairs. Her steps were light and slow, as if afraid of disturbing something. The person Song Jinzhi was on guard against was none other than Gu Sijiu. She'd stayed in her room for a long time; even though she was almost late for work, she still didn't dare come out.
Song Jinzhi wasn't sure whether Gu Sijiu was still in heat after a whole night. She'd hurt her last night, and the person might cause trouble the moment she woke up. Song Jinzhi had considered every worst case scenario. She put a stun gun in her coat pocket and walked down just like that. As soon as she came downstairs, she was met with Gu Sijiu's pained expression.
Gu Sijiu saw Song Jinzhi and swept her hair aside, deliberately revealing the swollen bump on her head. At the gesture, Song Jinzhi pursed her lips, her face still calm.
"I'm the one who hit you, but I believe that was the best way to handle it. You did say before that you wouldn't touch me, didn't you?"
There was no guilt in Song Jinzhi's voice. Gu Sijiu also understood that, strictly speaking, this whole incident was due to her own failure to notice her heat; emotionally, Song Jinzhi was not in the wrong. Gu Sijiu thought for a moment, then waved her hand to indicate the matter was settled.
Song Jinzhi hadn't expected her to let it go so easily, and the suspended heart in her chest finally settled. She drank her coffee to perk herself up, though her headache still left her face pale and haggard. A whole night of anxiety and a stomachache had kept Song Jinzhi miserable up to now. She had no appetite. Even though she knew she really ought to eat something in her condition, she truly couldn't manage a bite.
"What was it like when I was in heat last night?" Gu Sijiu suddenly asked. At the question, Song Jinzhi raised her eyes to glance at her, only to see Gu Sijiu cupping her face in both hands, seemingly recalling the night before. Song Jinzhi hadn't really paid attention to what Gu Sijiu was like in heat; she'd just felt that Gu Sijiu's scent was nicer than usual and even more irresistible.
Seeing that Song Jinzhi wasn't answering, Gu Sijiu couldn't be bothered to press further. She wasn't actually recalling her own state last night, but rather Song Jinzhi's.
Gu Sijiu still remembered that Song Jinzhi's scent had been very pleasant, especially after she'd gotten close to her, the pleasantness had multiplied several times over. Song Jinzhi's pheromones carried a faint hibiscus flower scent, and that fragrance had grown rich, provocative, making Gu Sijiu unable to control her urge to draw nearer. Images flashed through her mind: Song Jinzhi with damp, glistening eyes, her cheeks tinged with a blush, looking at her with a trace of timidity. Gu Sijiu felt a tickle in her chest, because Song Jinzhi last night had been incredibly beautiful.
"If you smiled more often, you'd probably be even prettier. Still a bit less than me, though. If I were an Omega, I'm sure I'd be in extremely high demand." The latter half of Gu Sijiu's words was brimming with narcissism. She stroked her smooth face and imagined what it would be like if this body of hers were not an Alpha but an Omega.
Her body would surely exude an incredibly alluring fragrance; her pheromones would be more aromatic and pleasing than any Omega's, making her irresistible to every Alpha. With her stunning figure in a fiery red dress, her lips slightly parted, she'd have those Alphas bowing at her feet. Gu Sijiu's imagination ran wild, and her expression grew utterly flirtatious. When she noticed Gu Sijiu lightly sucking on the little spoon she'd used to stir the milk, Song Jinzhi's face stiffened. She then looked at the large bump on Gu Sijiu's head and stayed silent.
Seeing that Song Jinzhi wasn't responding, Gu Sijiu snapped out of her fantasy. She looked down at the original host's rather modest chest and frowned in discomfort; the movement tugged at the bump on her head, making her body shudder with pain. Gu Sijiu knew that no matter how much she daydreamed about such things, nothing would change the fact that she was an Alpha. And this body even had defects; she wasn't tall, and her style of dress wouldn't appeal to those Omegas either.
Most female Omegas liked those dashing, handsome Alphas, but she just liked wearing dresses. Gu Sijiu frowned. She also knew the original host had been very sensitive about her height. One day, on a whim, she'd tried on the original host's boots and discovered they were actually built up height increasing ones, completely invisible from the outside but adding ten centimeters when worn. Gu Sijiu had been speechless for a moment and then promptly put away all the original host's shoes.
"If there's nothing else, I'm going to work." Song Jinzhi wasn't going to waste any more time. Even though she wasn't feeling well, the company had an important meeting today. She'd just returned to Song Corporation and tried as much as possible not to use her health as an excuse to take leave, which would only give more people reason to say that as an Omega, she wasn't suited for work.
Gu Sijiu gave an "oh" and stared into the mirror, pondering how to reduce the swelling of the large bump on her head.
Song Jinzhi glanced at her, thinking that she had anti inflammatory ointment in her room. She knew all she had to do was casually mention it, but the words stuck in her throat, making it feel impossible for Song Jinzhi to speak. She stood by the door struggling for a long time, and in the end she simply turned and left.
Song Jinzhi found herself a little strange: why was it that every time she wanted to show Gu Sijiu some goodwill, it felt so unbearably awkward?
Song Jinzhi went to the company, and a crushing wave of tasks immediately bore down on her. Because she'd arrived a bit late, many things had to be dealt with quickly. She sat in her office busy for the entire morning, and it was only when she came back to herself that she realized she'd missed lunch. Her neck ached from holding the same posture for so long, and even worse, the stabbing pain from her stomach was far more intense than it had been in the morning.
"Jennifer, please buy a bowl of congee and bring it up, along with some stomach medicine. Don't let other colleagues in the company see." Song Jinzhi opened her communicator and spoke softly. She noticed her voice had become very airy, and her throat was sore as well. Jennifer quickly brought the items up. She glanced at Song Jinzhi's complexion with some concern.
"President Song, you don't look well. Should you take leave and go home to rest?"
"It's nothing, just a minor issue. The afternoon meeting is on as scheduled; tell the staff to make the arrangements." Song Jinzhi took a sip of the hot congee and said quietly. Seeing she couldn't persuade her, Jennifer said nothing more.
Once she left, Song Jinzhi hurriedly set down the spoon and rushed to the restroom, retching dryly. The congee she'd barely managed to swallow came right back up. Song Jinzhi brushed her teeth but had no appetite for any more food. She lay wearily on the sofa, only hoping that this midday break might let her recover her condition just a little.
Throughout the entire afternoon meeting, Song Jinzhi was purely forcing herself to hold on. She drank two bottles of nutrient supplement, which finally eased some of the fatigue, but after the long meeting her body completely gave out. Song Jinzhi managed to walk out of the company, but the moment she got into the car she curled up in misery. She knew her condition wasn't good, yet at a time like this, she couldn't find a single person to look after her.
Jing Yu was away on a business trip and very busy. If her parents saw her sick, they'd probably use the excuse that she was an Omega to tell her not to go to the company. Song Jinzhi didn't want to stir up so much trouble; even though her body was unwell, she wanted to tough it out alone. She got out of the car and entered the house. It was only a few steps, but she walked unbelievably slowly, as if even the act of pushing the door open had drained every last bit of her strength.
Song Jinzhi looked around the living room but didn't see Gu Sijiu. Perhaps it was because a sick person's heart grows more fragile, but Song Jinzhi actually felt a touch of disappointment at the person's absence. Even if she refused to admit it in her heart, in moments like this, she wished someone would look after her a little, even if that someone was the detestable Gu Sijiu.
Song Jinzhi steadied herself against the wall and headed upstairs, planning to take some medicine in her room and then sleep. The staircase felt especially long at that moment; cold sweat trailed down her forehead, pooling into tiny droplets that pattered onto the steps. Song Jinzhi lifted her head and saw a blurry figure standing across from her. The figure saw her and called out to her. Before Song Jinzhi could respond, she completely lost consciousness.
Just before she blacked out, she felt herself fall into a soft embrace. Although not broad, it was deeply reassuring, and the scent was very comforting.
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