VBNWDW - Chapter 26
Chapter 26
The evening wind persisted, whipping up noisy waves that grated on the nerves. In the distance, coconut trees swayed, their fronds rustling as if in complaint.
The phone at his ear fell silent for a moment. Xi Zhoukang stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.
He hadn't expected Xi Zhoulu to be right there, listening as he used her for an excuse.
It wasn't that he was a complete fool; he simply had no way of bribing Xi Zhoulu's inner circle. He had to go through company employees to learn that Xi Zhoulu had taken a leave of absence after a business trip to H City. From there, he had to jump through several more hoops to get Luo Yueqing's contact information.
He had no way of knowing, nor could he have ever imagined, that Luo Yueqing would be with Xi Zhoulu—much less on some kind of honeymoon.
When he heard she had taken leave, he assumed Xi Zhoulu must be meeting with someone important—someone who could add weight to her claim as the heir.
He viewed the marriage to Luo Yueqing in the same light. He had already thoroughly investigated Luo Yueqing's background and concluded that she had been forced into a contract marriage with Xi Zhoulu due to her family's debts.
How could Xi Zhoulu possibly fall in love with someone?
A cold-blooded creature who only cared about money, with a grim personality and ruthless methods.
Luo Yueqing was simply being temporarily deceived by her. He was certain that if he just explained everything and made Luo Yueqing see the truth, she would come to her senses and join him in resisting Xi Zhoulu.
"Xi Zhoukang."
The voice came through the phone again, as icy as ever, as if every word were followed by falling shards of ice.
Xi Zhoukang swallowed hard and forced himself to retort, "What's it to you? Sister Yueqing helped me when we were children, and I want to repay her now. That's perfectly natural. What right do you have to interfere, Xi Zhoulu!"
There was no immediate response. He dismissed the occasional rustling sound as mere static, paying it no mind.
When she didn't answer, he grew a little bolder. "Xi Zhoulu, let me tell you something. Stop acting so tyrannical all the time. Others might be afraid of you, but I'm not!"
"If you dare threaten Sister Yueqing, I'll! I'll!"
"You'll what?" Xi Zhoulu asked, her tone unchanged.
The person on top of her was still up to no good. Perhaps she had been spoiled by Xi Zhoulu, because now she threw a tantrum over the smallest things.
Strands of hair cascaded down, brushing against her shoulder and neck, raising a fine, ticklish ache.
Xi Zhoulu turned her head to dodge, but was held in place by a bite to her throat, unable to move.
People said Luo Yueqing was like a fox, and she truly was like a little beast. The places she favored were always different from most people's. She would always linger at the fatal spot on the throat before tracing a path down, vertebra by vertebra, leaving a damp trail behind as if it were all some amusing game.
Xi Zhoulu could only let her be. Her gaze drifted down, catching sight of a slender back bent low. The shirt couldn't conceal the graceful lines of her body as it clung tightly to her slim waist. The dimples of her lower back were faintly visible beneath the white fabric, and following the hem of the shirt further down…
Xi Zhoulu lowered her eyes and asked again, "What exactly will you do? And who will you go crying to?"
The moment she finished speaking, she let out a soft hiss. She hurriedly tried to cover the phone's microphone, but her wrist was seized and pinned above her head, the phone still pressed firmly against her ear.
It was deliberate, a completely undisguised act of mischief.
She glanced up at Luo Yueqing, who was pinning her hand while continuing her descent, no longer content with the area above the collarbone. She seemed determined to stir up some trouble.
Xi Zhoulu's brows furrowed. She was finding Xi Zhoukang more and more irritating.
"Xi Zhoulu, don't think there's nothing I can do to you!"
"Yes, besides tattling to them, you can also go cry to Grandfather," Xi Zhoulu said, her speech suddenly quickening, her final words rising in pitch.
"You!"
The thin blanket was lifted and then fell again. The shirt she had just put on was once again on the floor. It seemed calling for housekeeping would have to be postponed for quite some time.
Xi Zhoulu couldn't help but murmur, "Don't…"
But how could the other person let her off so easily? A large lump formed under the thin blanket. Xi Zhoulu took a sharp breath, her freed hand clutching tightly at the pillow.
"Xi Zhoulu, don't you go too far!"
"Am I the one going too far? Who was it that bribed someone at the company to demand my wife's contact information?" Xi Zhoulu finished, biting her lower lip. Her eyes were half-lidded, the flush at their corners growing more vivid and lending a touch of delicate allure to her usually cold, refined features.
Compared to someone paralyzed from the waist down with no feeling at all, Xi Zhoulu was clearly much better off. Her legs were merely weak, often confining her to a wheelchair, but she could still occasionally use her cane to stand for short periods. And she had normal sensation—normal feeling. In fact, perhaps due to her Omega constitution, her senses were not just normal but sometimes exceeded the normal range, much to her distress.
"That's only because you threatened Sister Yueqing and made her too scared to talk to me."
Xi Zhoulu let out a muffled grunt, suppressing the strange sensation. "I'll settle this score with you later."
She no longer had the strength to deal with him; she just wanted to hang up the phone.
But Xi Zhoukang was relentless. He snapped, "It's clear you're in the wrong and have nothing to say! Hurry up and give the phone to Sister Yueqing. I need to talk to her."
Xi Zhoulu wanted to ignore him. She had thought she was past being affected by those three members of the Xi family, but now an inexplicable anger surged within her. It was clearly Luo Yueqing who was attracting all this unwanted attention, making Xi Zhoukang constantly scheme for a way to talk to her, yet she was the one suffering the consequences.
Xi Zhoulu reached out to grab Luo Yueqing, only to have her hand caught again and pinned beneath the bedding.
She tried to pull away, but her legs were too weak. The most she could do was bend them slightly before they gave out and fell limp.
"Luo Yueqing," she couldn't help but cry out.
Xi Zhoukang, thinking he had finally persuaded her, echoed the call, "Sister Yueqing!"
Luo Yueqing was busy and had no intention of paying him any mind.
Furious, Xi Zhoulu wrenched her hand free and pushed at Luo Yueqing's head.
But Luo Yueqing wasn't one to take things lying down. If Xi Zhoulu pushed her, she would just apply more pressure in return.
The thin blanket trembled violently. Xi Zhoulu's vision swam, and even the dim light seemed to turn a stark white.
A sound rose in her throat but was forcibly suppressed. Xi Zhoulu's resistance had become a clarion call for her to continue.
The voice on the phone was still clamoring. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Xi Zhoukang decided to throw caution to the wind and shouted, "Sister Yueqing, don't be afraid! I'm here. Xi Zhoulu won't dare do anything to you."
Afraid of what? Luo Yueqing was a master at turning the tables, her attitude so arrogant it bordered on insolent. The same CEO Xi whom everyone else feared was being bullied by her time and time again.
Xi Zhoulu was seething. For the first time in a long while, she cursed the weakness in her legs. If not for that, she would have kicked Luo Yueqing right off the sofa.
"Sister Yueqing!"
"Luo Yueqing!"
The two voices rang out simultaneously. Luo Yueqing kept her head down, ignoring them, until Xi Zhoulu finally threw off the blanket and pushed her again.
Luo Yueqing sat up, her face a mask of displeasure, her lips glistening with moisture.
Xi Zhoulu turned her head, refusing to look at her. She tried to close her legs, but with Luo Yueqing positioned between them, the effort was futile.
She could only feign a cold tone. "Xi Zhoukang is making a scene. He's looking for you, his great savior."
The words had barely left her lips when that hint of coldness dissolved into a low moan. Luo Yueqing was restless. She nudged a knee upward—after all that hard work, how could she possibly stop now?
Xi Zhoulu turned to glare at her, but after a sharp intake of breath, she threw her head back, her jawline tightening into a sharp, clear line.
Luo Yueqing couldn't resist looking down: at the straight line of a collarbone, marked with red; at the delicate, soft curves of a chest, slightly less pronounced than her own; at the pliant stomach that hollowed with every breath. Her pale skin was a canvas of faint and vivid crimson marks.
It was a deadly sort of contrast.
The aloof, noble Omega, who hadn't softened one bit even while sitting before a fire, was now squeezed onto a tiny sofa with her. The annoyance in her eyes was veiled by a watery sheen, like moonlight falling upon a lake, willingly captured by a rose and bound by its thorns.
The phone was still clamoring. At first, Luo Yueqing had found it amusing, deliberately handing the phone to Xi Zhoulu just to tease her and listen to her suppressed moans. Now, however, she was just annoyed. Xi Zhoukang was being tactless, interrupting this moment of bliss.
So she leaned over, took the phone, and snapped impatiently, "Xi Zhoukang."
"Sister Yueqing!" Xi Zhoukang hadn't expected it to be so easy. His confrontations with Xi Zhoulu almost always ended in his utter defeat, forcing him to go scurrying back to his parents. He was shocked that his efforts had actually gotten Luo Yueqing on the line.
"Are you all right? Did Xi Zhoulu threaten you…" he began in a rush, his voice laced with concern.
But Luo Yueqing cut him off sharply. "Xi Zhoukang, have you looked at the time?"
"Huh?" Though confused, Xi Zhoukang instinctively obeyed. He glanced at the time and answered honestly, "It's ten-thirty at night."
"So you do know it's nighttime," Luo Yueqing said with a sarcastic laugh. "Don't you have a life? Why must you call and interrupt ours?"
The other end of the line fell silent. Luo Yueqing pressed a fingertip against the spot she had marked several times, and the Omega beneath her shuddered, grabbing blindly at the blanket and twisting it into a knot.
When he finally processed her words, his voice was filled with rage. "I… you… how could you!"
Luo Yueqing replied nonchalantly, "And why not?"
"Xi Zhoukang, your sister and I are legally married. We are spending a perfectly legal, wonderful night together. Oh, and by the way, we're doing it with the blessing of your grandfather, who is so eager for a grandchild."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call again, all right? You know how irritating it is to be interrupted at a… critical moment."
With that, Luo Yueqing hung up the phone.
Xi Zhoulu could no longer hear their conversation. She was drowning in an unbearable sea.
Luo Yueqing smiled. The moisture at the corner of her mouth hadn't yet dried, and her palm was already cupping another pool.
The relentless waves surged once more. The round moon, reflected on the water's surface, was shattered again by the spray.
The sweltering heat finally eased, but no one was out walking anymore. All around them, it was quiet.
The rich scent of roses once again mingled with the sweet aroma of chestnuts, filling the entire room. The exhaust fan in the ceiling whirred diligently, but it could not vent all of it away.
Her weak, limp legs were draped over Luo Yueqing's shoulders, tensing at the wet sounds, unable to pull away.
After what felt like an eternity, the blurry lights before her eyes slowly coalesced into a single point. The strength she had just regained vanished completely. Xi Zhoulu began to wonder if people who enjoyed this sort of thing ever got tired. What on earth gave them such persistence?
It baffled Xi Zhoulu. She turned her head to look at Luo Yueqing, who seemed just like all the others—insatiable, coming back again and again.
Luo Yueqing didn't notice her gaze. She simply rolled over and pressed down on top of Xi Zhoulu, showing none of the consideration expected of an Alpha.
Helpless, Xi Zhoulu gave her a push and a soft reprimand.
But the shameless Luo Yueqing simply tilted her head up, brushed her lips against the corner of Xi Zhoulu's mouth, and said smugly, "This is treatment."
"Your Mental Power will never fall into disarray again."
She wasn't even in heat right now, so what was the point of all this?
However, a thought suddenly struck Xi Zhoulu. If Luo Yueqing was like this when she wasn't even in her susceptibility period, then what would happen when it actually arrived…
She suddenly felt a heavy weight, though she couldn't tell if it was from Luo Yueqing lying on top of her or from psychological pressure. Perhaps it was both, which was why it felt so overwhelming.
"We're going back the day after tomorrow," Xi Zhoulu said suddenly, her voice a little hoarse.
Luo Yueqing lifted her head, suddenly displeased. "But you've only rested for two days."
Xi Zhoulu: "…"
She gave a wry twitch of her lips. Some rest that was. Her tone shifted as she insisted, "Xi Zhoukang has your phone number. I have no idea how many people he's bribed. I need to go back."
She mentally reviewed the possibilities and quickly narrowed down the list of suspects. Luo Yueqing had little contact with company staff. The only time had been that day at the office when Xi Zhoulu was in a meeting and had a secretary order food for her, giving them Luo Yueqing's number in the process. This particular secretary wasn't crucial to her operations. She had three secretaries in total, but only two were trusted confidants—one handled company affairs, the other managed her personal assets. All her domestic matters were handled by the butler. Therefore, the one who had been bribed was likely just responsible for scheduling reminders and receiving visitors. But even if they weren't a key employee, they still knew a great deal. Left unchecked, they were a problem waiting to explode.
Luo Yueqing wasn't unreasonable. She simply said, "In that case, we won't go out tomorrow. I'll let you get a good rest."
She deliberately stressed the last few words, making it clear she didn't mean it in the conventional sense.
Xi Zhoulu's breath caught in her throat. She made one last attempt. "Don't you want to go out? We could take the yacht, or go for a walk on the beach. There are a few restaurants here that prepare excellent seafood."
Luo Yueqing just shook her head and smiled. "CEO Xi's time off is precious. We shouldn't waste it."
She didn't think it was a waste at all.
Xi Zhoulu fell silent for a moment. In the end, she didn't argue, only saying, "That's enough for tonight."
Luo Yueqing blinked. After a moment's thought, she gave a solemn nod. "All right."
"We'll rest for a bit, then call someone to clean the room."
"Okay."
Luo Yueqing suddenly remembered something. "Should we have the sofa cover changed?"
Xi Zhoulu: "…Yes."
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