VBNWDW - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
All her defenses crumbled in an instant.
Who would have thought they would be so compatible.
As times changed and progressed, the Imperial Star had moved away from the old, conservative practice of designated marriages. Contemporary society championed free love, but as a consequence, mental power disorders were no longer uncommon, which in turn led to the profession of Mental Guide becoming increasingly popular.
But the profession wasn't as easy as it seemed. While it wasn't restricted to Omegas or Alphas, one's rank was crucial. After all, the so-called mental guidance involved using one's own mental power to enter the other's sea of consciousness, then sorting through and soothing the tangled strands of chaotic mental power.
It sounded simple, but how could it actually be that easy?
For an unmarked Alpha and Omega, even if both lowered their guards and cooperated fully, they couldn't stop the subconscious rejection.
In such cases, the higher the healer's rank and the stronger their mental power, the more easily they could suppress the patient and conduct the guidance from a dominant position.
However, since Xi Zhoulu and Luo Yueqing were both S-Class, that method was not an option. The original treatment plan had been to adopt a slower approach involving multiple guidance sessions.
But something unexpected happened, revealing that they were an exception.
There was another, relatively easier method in guidance therapy—the higher the compatibility between an Alpha and Omega, the less rejection there would be.
However, the empire had long ago explicitly forbidden the checking of compatibility ratings. This was meant to protect Omegas, prevent certain individuals from taking shortcuts in their search for a partner, and was another way of upholding the principle of free love.
After all, the higher an Omega's compatibility, the harder it was for them to resist an Alpha's pheromonal intrusion, or even a marking.
Therefore, except in certain special circumstances, it was difficult for anyone to find out.
Xi Zhoulu naturally hadn't expected this situation either, but she was powerless to resist.
No one could stop the two streams from converging. It was as if they were destined to be part of the same river, only temporarily separated by circumstance, and were now flowing together, completely unimpeded.
Her tightly shut, delicate eyes relaxed slightly. The pain she had endured for a year finally began to ease.
Even Luo Yueqing, who was performing guidance for the first time, found it incredibly easy.
But in the next second, something abruptly changed.
The Omega leaning back in the wheelchair suddenly tensed, her brows knitting together. The hand half-hidden in her sleeve clenched into a fist, blue veins standing out starkly against her almost translucent skin.
With this sudden change, Luo Yueqing didn't fare well either. The smile on her lips faded, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down her temple.
The air filled with the heavy scent of burning charcoal, ruthlessly suppressing the rose fragrance that had been quietly spreading.
The fire in the fireplace suddenly flared, and a spark scorched the nearby rug.
Luo Yueqing's mental power was forcefully ejected. The moment it slammed back into her body, she immediately felt the sharp tip of a cane pressing against her neck.
The woman showed no mercy. The tip of the cane pressed a thumb-sized indentation into the delicate skin, as if a little more force would be enough to pierce her throat and kill this impertinent Alpha on the spot.
Luo Yueqing had no choice but to open her eyes and look at the person opposite her.
She had a pair of stunningly beautiful eyes, a pale shade of red like the rare and finicky Ecuadorian Red Wine Rose. Only at the edges was there a trace of a deeper hue. In the firelight, they were more bewitching and passionate than any gemstone.
Unfortunately, the person opposite her was not one to appreciate such things.
Her gloomy eyes were filled with an enraged chill, so much so that she even ignored the stiletto heel still pressed against her calf.
"I hope there won't be a next time, Dr. Luo," her voice was laced with ice, full of warning.
Very few people could do this: forcefully break free from instinctual dependence, ignore the desperate craving of their chaotic, collapsing mental power, and directly eject a highly compatible mental power from their sea of consciousness, even going so far as to threaten the other person's life.
Anyone else, even if they managed to break free, would still feel a flicker of affection for their highly compatible Alpha. After all, it was a brand of compatibility etched deep into the soul.
But Xi Zhoulu stared daggers at her, as if she were about to execute her on the spot.
Luo Yueqing's gaze shifted downward, landing on the other's tightly pressed, pale lips. This was a person who would push her away even at the expense of her own body.
She sighed, her expression softening as if looking at a misbehaving, unruly child. "This is just a treatment," she said helplessly.
"You're too tense, Miss Xi."
She deliberately emphasized the last sentence, as if to stress that her actions were purely for the sake of treatment, yet her high heel remained in place.
Xi Zhoulu knew this, of course. She knew that what the other woman had just done was greatly beneficial to her, but she couldn't stand the passive feeling of losing control. She had to break free, even at the risk of worsening her condition.
She said coldly, "I do not permit it."
She emphasized again, "Something like this is not to happen a second time."
"Dr. Luo, I trust you're an intelligent person. Some things are simply not acceptable if I do not consent."
Luo Yueqing grasped the key point and replied, despite the tip of the cane at her throat, "I am a doctor."
The implication was that she had the right to control the course of this treatment.
Xi Zhoulu's pale, grayish-blue eyes were like ice. She said only, "You are the doctor I hired."
"A patient has the right to choose their treatment plan."
"The doctor's job is simply to obey."
Outside, the sun was bright. Patches of light filtering through the gaps in the branches squeezed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, inching their way inside to climb up the ankles of the two women locked in a standoff.
But the warmth didn't penetrate their skin. They stared at each other, neither willing to yield, vying for control.
In the end, it was Luo Yueqing who relented. She returned to her previous languid demeanor. The pointed toe of her shoe lowered, the slightly heavy heel dipping down, revealing a section of her slender ankle. Even wrapped in black silk, one could discern the smooth, pale skin beneath.
"As you wish, Miss Xi," she said, raising a hand to rub her brow.
The System's frantic warnings in her mind finally stopped.
Xi Zhoulu had genuinely wanted to kill her.
The black cane was finally lowered. Xi Zhoulu leaned back against her chair again, her spine as straight as a stalk of green bamboo, refusing to relax even for a moment.
She warned once more, "I hope, Dr. Luo, that you will remember the patient's choice."
Luo Yueqing twitched the corner of her mouth into a smile that didn't reach her eyes and could only repeat, "I will respect Miss Xi's choice."
"Good." Xi Zhoulu rested both hands on her cane. The fireplace beside her was blazing hot and bright, yet she remained shrouded in shadow.
Although the other woman's previous actions had angered her, she had also seen some results. S-Class Alpha guides were rare, but with the Xi family's influence, it wouldn't be difficult to hire one. It was just that...
Luo Yueqing's background information flashed through her mind, followed by the memory of their incredibly compatible mental power.
A guide who was both easy to control and offered the best therapeutic results—there was only one.
This was why Xi Zhoulu had patiently warned her time and again.
"Someone will notify you in advance of the next treatment session."
Xi Zhoulu narrowed her eyes, then added, "The payment for the treatment will be transferred to your card shortly."
A stick and a carrot. The tactic was old, but very effective. She understood this principle deeply.
Luo Yueqing tilted her head and smiled. "Then I'll wait until the next time Miss Xi needs me..."
The words were ambiguous, the drawn-out final note expressing the woman's unruly nature.
But Xi Zhoulu didn't stop her. People in high positions all understood the value of capable individuals. As long as they were useful, a few minor flaws were within an acceptable range.
"Butler, see our guest out," she said without hesitation.
The person waiting outside immediately pushed the door open, then turned sideways and gestured for Luo Yueqing to exit, his demeanor as humble as before.
Luo Yueqing, being kicked out, simply raised an eyebrow. As she was about to stand, she seemed to remember something, turning her head to look at Xi Zhoulu. She chuckled softly and said, "Miss Xi, you have the very warm scent of burning charcoal."
She recalled the brief scent from before—like sandalwood ignited by a great fire, with the faint sweetness of chestnuts.
For a rare moment, Xi Zhoulu paused. The butler at the door lowered his head even further.
She finally spoke, but her tone was still emphatic. "Then I hope, Dr. Luo, that you won't one day be burned by that charcoal."
"I'll take that as a good omen," Luo Yueqing said.
Without lingering any longer, her high heels pressed into the carpet. The butler bowed and held the door until it was once again locked.
Xi Zhoulu remained seated, her fingers tapping unconsciously on her cane. A murky expression was all that remained in the depths of her eyes, as if she were carefully considering something.
After a long moment, she finally turned her head to look out the window, where she could clearly see the figure of Luo Yueqing leaving in a car.
Only after the vehicle had driven out of the manor did she lower her head again and continue reading her unfinished book.
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