VBNWDW - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

A hazy orange glow suffused the city. The streets on either side were submerged in a silent yet oppressive clamor, like a countdown to the end of a weary day.

The extended black sedan left the flow of traffic and turned onto a quiet asphalt road.

Xi Zhoulu leaned back against the soft rear seat, her slightly raised chin sharp. Her eyes were half-closed, and the thin light falling upon her made her fair skin seem as delicate as fine porcelain.

Beside her, the butler was reporting in a low voice.

Xi Zhoulu would occasionally say a word or two, but most of the time she remained silent, making it impossible to tell if she had fallen asleep.

Only after all the trivial matters had been reported did she slowly lift her eyelids. The emotion in her pale, grayish-blue eyes was obscure and hard to read, and her tone was just as faint. "What about Luo Yueqing?"

The butler lowered his head, avoiding her gaze, and said respectfully, "Ten minutes ago, the madam opened the door and asked for the sheets to be changed and for an inhibitor. After that, she closed the door and there's been no sound since."

Something else caught Xi Zhoulu's attention. She repeated, her meaning unclear, "The madam?"

Her voice was very soft, tinged with a faint, mocking laugh.

She stared fixedly at the butler, but her gaze was unfocused and distant, her thoughts unknown. A moment later, she came back to herself, the previous emotion completely concealed. She was once again the coolly elegant and aloof heir of the Xi family.

"Let it be," she said.

"Then, do the others need to…" the butler began, his tone hesitant and probing.

"The same," Xi Zhoulu replied quickly, then closed her eyes, resuming her previous posture.

The leaves of the plane trees lining the road fell, fluttering down into the storm drains to mix with the small mountains of fallen leaves already there.

---

In the room on the other side, the heavy curtains were drawn. In the dim light, one could vaguely make out the chaos within.

Clothes were tossed on the carpet, a pillow was thrown on the floor, and only half of the thin white quilt remained on the bed. The woman in the nightdress raised a hand to cover her eyes. The air was filled with the scent of roses.

Luo Yueqing rolled over, clutching the quilt that was about to fall off.

She looked uncomfortable. Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, shoulders, and neck. In the dim light, the tiny droplets gathered into streams, sliding from the elegant lines of her shoulders and neck to her waist, where they were finally broken by the silk fabric, staining it a darker shade and making her already slender waist seem even more delicate.

"Hiss…" She suddenly let out a low groan, one that held an unbearable desire.

Luo Yueqing sighed helplessly. "This is killing me."

It was her first time, after all. She hadn't expected this Susceptibility Period to be so difficult to endure. After taking an inhibitor last night, she had taken two cold showers and even had the sheets changed, but nothing seemed to help.

That intermittent, searing heat kept surging through her body.

As her mind wandered, Luo Yueqing imagined she was a king under siege. The inhibitor was her less-than-capable army, beaten back again and again by the enemy, only managing an occasional offensive to reclaim a tiny bit of its own territory.

"System, when is this going to end?" Luo Yueqing gripped the fabric beneath her, wishing she could tear a hole in the sheet.

"Is every Alpha's Susceptibility Period this agonizing? How do they stand it so many times?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"This is practically forcing people to find a partner."

"Imagine how hard it must be for people who want to stay single."

She could only try to distract herself, forcing herself to forget for a moment.

The System's cold, mechanical voice responded: "The Host's current situation is normal. A high-grade Alpha's Susceptibility Period lasts longer and is more difficult to endure than a low-grade Alpha's. Their resistance to inhibitors is stronger, making them less effective."

Luo Yueqing's mouth fell open. A rush of anger flooded her mind, and for a moment she didn't know what to say. Finally, she blurted out, "Then what's the point of being high-grade? It's just more trouble and more exhausting than being anyone else."

The System replied matter-of-factly, "According to statistics, high-grade Alphas and Omegas, both in the past and present, hold higher social status and become leaders in their respective fields…"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Luo Yueqing cut it off impatiently, changing the subject. "Is Xi Zhoulu almost back?"

At the mention of the mission target, the System immediately replied, "She will arrive at the Manor in ten minutes."

"How are things? Did she mention the marriage?"

"She did."

Luo Yueqing's expression grew serious. In the original world, this event would have happened two months later. By then, the other three members of the Xi family would have already known about Luo Yueqing's existence and had Xi Zhoukang approach her privately several times, deliberately trying to sabotage Xi Zhoulu's marriage.

After all, this was the only thing about Xi Zhoulu that displeased the Old Master.

Moreover, the other three Xis had always harbored the idea that Xi Zhoulu's poor health might lead to an early death, allowing Xi Zhoukang to take over in the end.

If Xi Zhoulu were to marry and produce a suitable heir, that idea would be completely shattered, so they did everything they could to prevent it.

But now, Luo Yueqing had deliberately moved the timeline forward, catching those three completely off guard. They were probably scratching their heads in some room right now, gritting their teeth as they tried to come up with a countermeasure.

Luo Yueqing rolled over again. The exposed parts of her skin touched the dampness on the sheet, sending another wave of tingling numbness through her.

She bit her lip. This was already the second time she'd had to change the sheets today…

Luo Yueqing glanced at the table, where an unopened inhibitor still lay.

Because this was her first time, and because someone had helped her last night, Luo Yueqing was still a bit lost and clumsy when it came to using this thing.

She couldn't just try it blindly; the gland was, after all, a fragile and sensitive area.

So the thing had been sitting there for half the day. She had been procrastinating, thinking she would rest a little longer and try when she had more energy. The result was another soaked set of sheets…

Luo Yueqing gritted her teeth. She raised her hand, wanting to cover her eyes again, but she knew this wasn't a long-term solution. She forced herself to sit up.

Her sweat-soaked hair clung to her neck, and her nightdress had slipped halfway off, hanging loosely on her body. The rich scent of roses swirled around her. It should have been a disheveled sight, yet it brought to mind the words decadent and lush.

The rustle of fabric sounded as her reddened fingertips pressed the button beside her, a signal to summon a servant.

Luo Yueqing sat on the bed and rested for a moment. It wasn't until she heard a knock at the door that she got up and walked towards it.

Her heavy footsteps stopped, and the door was opened.

Standing by the door, Luo Yueqing froze for a second, then suddenly broke into a smile. In that nonchalant tone of hers, she called out, "Miss Xi."

Outside the door, a woman in a linen shirt with knotted buttons sat in a wheelchair. Her pale, grayish-blue eyes were slightly raised. Though she was looking up, she exuded a noble and sharp aura that made one feel as if they were the one in the subordinate position.

"The servants in the house are temporarily out on an errand. I just got back and heard you call for someone," Xi Zhoulu's explanation paused as her eyes swept over Luo Yueqing from top to bottom.

"So I came to see what you needed."

She added, her tone slightly heavier, "If it's urgent, I can call someone back."

Luo Yueqing leaned against the doorframe, looking a bit embarrassed. "It's nothing urgent."

She found the situation awkward. Not being a native of this world, she found it hard to talk about needing help changing sheets because of her Susceptibility Period. She couldn't be as casual about it as others.

"I can help, too," Xi Zhoulu said, seeing through her pretense.

The Alpha who had been so brazen yesterday was suddenly reserved today, her eyes darting away as she tried to change the subject.

"Have you contacted a lawyer? I feel like my condition is a bit serious. We might have to wait a couple of days."

"No. I went back to the Old Residence today and told them. I'll contact a lawyer in two days," Xi Zhoulu said calmly.

Luo Yueqing tilted her head slightly, leaning against the wooden doorframe. For some reason, a flicker of curiosity arose, and she suddenly asked, "Xi Zhoulu, aren't you afraid you'll regret it?"

Even though the question was so abrupt, Xi Zhoulu maintained her cool and distant demeanor. She held the exquisitely carved handle of her cane, her black hair falling over her shoulders, the buttons of her shirt done up to the very top.

She was like a beautiful doll meticulously carved by a master craftsman. Her leg disability, far from shattering her perfection, even added a unique sense of brokenness to her.

"Regret what?" Xi Zhoulu asked.

"Marrying me," Luo Yueqing answered.

Perhaps it was because she still held the values of her original world, where she felt marriage shouldn't be a rash decision. Besides, AO unions in this world were much harder to dissolve. After marking, it could take surgery and half a lifetime to be free.

As for other aspects, she had to marry Xi Zhoulu because of the System's mission. It wouldn't affect her when she moved to the next world, so it didn't matter to her. Old Master Xi wanted an heir.

But what about Xi Zhoulu?

Was it just to satisfy the Old Master?

She already had complete control of the group and held half the shares. This was why the Old Master couldn't force a marriage on her and could only compel her to go on blind dates.

So, there was absolutely no need for her to rush into marriage at this point. At worst, she could just go on a blind date from time to time to placate the Old Master.

Luo Yueqing scratched her head. Thinking of the overbearing CEO novels she had read before, she blurted out, "Don't you have any other dreams? Do you really have to do whatever it takes to inherit that group?"

Those overbearing CEOs were always forced to inherit the company, but each of them actually had simple, ordinary dreams, like being a florist or a lawyer.

Perhaps out of respect for her future wife, Xi Zhoulu, who rarely had the patience for such nonsense, didn't leave in annoyance.

She just smiled, a somewhat mocking smile, as if the other's words were incredibly naive.

Leaning back in her wheelchair, she said lazily, "Miss Luo, do you know what this group represents?"

She answered her own question. "Money and power."

"I learned from a very young age that no matter what you want, you must have these two things first."

"So this is my dream," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her pale, grayish-blue eyes were like the most precious gems, yet they held not a single spark of light.

"Right now, the Old Master still holds half of the shares. The condition for their exchange is that I marry and produce a satisfactory and qualified heir. So I agreed."

"This is a very fair transaction," she tilted her head, perfectly embodying the image of a cold and heartless merchant.

"So, I should be the one asking if you'll regret it, Miss Luo."

"However, it's too late for you to regret it now." She tilted her head slightly to look at Luo Yueqing, frankly informing her prey that she had already entered the cage, with no way out.

But she wasn't an entirely heartless merchant. She could still squeeze out a sliver of conscience, magnanimously reminding her, "If you have any other conditions, now is the time to bring them up."

Luo Yueqing's brow smoothed, and she suddenly broke into a smile. In her usual flippant tone, she said, "Oh? In that case, could Miss Xi help me inject an inhibitor?"

"Or…"

She chuckled softly, her peach-blossom eyes shimmering with a seductive charm as she enunciated each word, "Miss Xi could help me solve this personally."

"We have to try things out before the wedding. Otherwise, what if we're not… com-pa-ti-ble?"

Xi Zhoulu's expression froze, her gaze falling on the other woman's porcelain-white, lustrous shoulder.

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