VBNWDW - Chapter 44
Chapter 44
It was already afternoon when Xi Zhoulu returned.
After angering Old Master Xi to the point of fainting and destroying the will yesterday, Xi Zhoukang and the others had cast aside all their scruples. No longer concerned with public opinion, they acted as if the company was already theirs, firing a large portion of the staff in one go and boasting that the development project in the west of the city belonged to the Xi Group and no one else.
Tan Xunwen, who had been promised the project, was naturally furious. He called them, only to be berated by the father and son. They accused him of failing to fulfill his end of the bargain and questioned how he had the nerve to ask for the project, completely forgetting that without him, the two of them would never have been able to take Xi Zhoulu's place.
Qin Yuan had also reached out to them, but they had shed their previous submissiveness and forcefully rejected him.
Since they no longer needed to consider the old master's opinion, why bother putting another master over their own heads?
This was the shared sentiment of the Xi father and son.
But with years of effort on the line, the Qin family wasn't about to give up so easily. Qin Yuan took the initiative to schedule another meeting with Xi Zhoulu and others for a long, detailed discussion.
For a time, the long-placid surface of the Imperial Star was once again stirred by massive waves.
Inside the understated yet luxurious car, the butler, whom she hadn't seen in a while, sat across from a weary-looking Xi Zhoulu.
Perhaps due to the previous night's exertions, she looked somewhat tired, and her voice was deeper and huskier than usual as she continued, "What about Qingli's side?"
The butler pretended not to notice her state and replied in a low voice, "Secretary Li just sent a message. She said that Xi Yunting and his son don't have any capable people on hand yet. Although they're a bit suspicious of her, they have no choice but to entrust most matters to her."
Xi Zhoulu nodded slightly. This was exactly what she had expected.
He continued, "Qingli has already approved all of the partnership applications from our side. The Xi Group will be allocating the funds soon."
"Tell her there's no need to be too selective during this period. As long as someone wants money from the Xi Group, she is not to refuse," Xi Zhoulu added.
"Yes," the butler said. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Including the Tan Family?"
"Correct," Xi Zhoulu answered without a hint of hesitation, as if the previous incident had never happened. She then added, "Also, have the media continue to report on the Xi father and son angering the old master. Tell them to write what they must, without holding back."
The butler understood her meaning perfectly. After acknowledging her orders, he moved on to other matters.
The pure black sedan rounded a corner and finally arrived at a European-style castle, its clamor shielded by plane trees.
Luo Yueqing had chosen it a few days ago. After spending last night at the hospital, they had moved in this morning.
While handling business matters, Xi Zhoulu turned her head to look out the window, contemplating planting roses in the empty lawn. In her free time, she could open the window and see a garden in full bloom, a perfect match for Luo Yueqing.
But when the car stopped at the entrance and Xi Zhoulu was back in her wheelchair, she saw no sign of the other woman.
She couldn't help but frown slightly. Looking at a nearby servant, she asked, "Where is Mrs. Xi?"
Previously, with some complex feeling she couldn't name, she had instructed the staff to address Luo Yueqing as "Mrs. Xi." Now, though the others were still getting used to it, the title rolled off her own tongue with extreme ease.
The servant bowed and replied, "Mrs. Xi hasn't come downstairs all day."
"All day?" Xi Zhoulu's brow tightened. She raised her hand to check her watch. It was already three in the afternoon. Although they had been rather rough last night, the woman was an S-Class Alpha. Surely she wasn't still sleeping soundly?
She immediately wheeled herself into the elevator.
The servant behind her, thinking they had done something wrong, turned pale. They subconsciously tried to follow but could only stop before the slowly closing elevator doors.
They watched as the ashen-faced Xi Zhoulu slowly ascended to the third floor.
The black rubber tires rolled over the plush carpet, leaving faint tracks in their wake.
Xi Zhoulu forcefully twisted the doorknob. Before she even entered, she called out, "Luo Yueqing."
The response was a muffled mumble and a room thick with the scent of pheromones.
She stopped abruptly, her pale gray-blue eyes reflecting the scene inside.
All of Xi Zhoulu's clothes, which had been painstakingly put away in the closet, had been taken out by Luo Yueqing and piled into a nest on the soft, large bed. Her rose was curled up pitifully inside it, clutching the blue and white hospital gown Xi Zhoulu had worn last night.
Susceptibility Period.
Those two words instantly surfaced in Xi Zhoulu's mind.
In truth, it had been a long time since either of them had experienced their cycles. During their last check-up, Luo Yueqing had specifically asked about it. After a detailed inquiry, the doctor explained that it was because Xi Zhoulu had suppressed her own cycles too severely in the past, leading to a mental power disorder.
Although Luo Yueqing's guidance was helping, the damage had been done over a long period, and recovery would take time. Her heat was therefore delayed to allow her damaged gland and mental power to repair themselves.
As her partner, sharing a bed every night and mingling their mental powers, Luo Yueqing was naturally affected. Coupled with the injuries from the car crash, her own special period had been continuously postponed.
Until now.
Xi Zhoulu recalled the events of last night and realized that Luo Yueqing had indeed been acting strangely. She had been more reckless than usual, more unwilling to listen to pleas for mercy, insisting on tormenting her again and again. Even when Xi Zhoulu played her trump card—that she had work the next day—it failed to stop her.
So, her Susceptibility Period had arrived.
Her expression softened as she wheeled herself to the bedside.
The usually sharp Alpha remained unaware, still curled up on her own. The silk nightgown she wore had been treated so roughly that it was a mess of wrinkles, to say nothing of the clothes clutched in her arms. Faint wet patches were visible, though it was unclear if they were from tears or something else.
She let out an unconscious whimper, her long legs under the hem of her gown clamping together. There were unnatural red marks inside her thighs, likely from constant friction.
Her light-colored, wavy hair was a mess. The part of her face not buried in the clothes was flushed a vivid crimson, and the lingering moisture at the corners of her eyes was obvious, as if she had been terribly wronged.
Xi Zhoulu paused, rubbing her thumb against her knuckle, her thoughts unreadable. Her cool, sharp features softened, gaining an unexpected touch of warmth.
The Alpha, curled up in the nest she had built with Xi Zhoulu's scent, let out another low hum. Her usually carefree, teasing tone had turned into a sticky, coquettish voice as she dazedly squeezed out Xi Zhoulu's name.
She was like a puppy waiting for its owner, clearly missing them to the extreme yet forcing herself to stare at the door with tear-filled eyes, trying her best not to disturb her owner's work.
So pitiful, and yet…
So endearing.
Xi Zhoulu pressed her lips together. The spot on the back of her neck that had been bitten last night began to ache with a numb tingle, like the itch of a healing wound. In moments, the sensation spread through her entire body, washing away all the deep-seated frustration and gloom.
Outsiders always said Xi Zhoulu was heartless, and even she considered herself cold-blooded. It was as if she never hesitated, calculating everyone with extreme rationality, step by step pushing the Xi family into an irreversible abyss.
The car crash, the old master's coma, the Xi father and son's current fleeting victory—Xi Zhoulu watched it all with cold eyes, her expression unchanging. Yet at night, the pain from her ribs would make her toss and turn, unable to sleep.
Those emotions she thought didn't exist were suppressed in the deepest parts of her, like the ailment in her legs, preventing her from ever truly standing up.
Sometimes, Xi Zhoulu would wonder: if Luo Yueqing had never appeared, what would have happened after she had done all this?
She couldn't imagine it, but she felt it would have been an extremely bleak outcome, perhaps even ending in a weary death.
But now, she possessed a rose. A rose that was spoiled and shameless, constantly coming up with vexing little schemes.
And Xi Zhoulu liked it. Just as a person starved for affection only feels loved when they are tightly gripping a branch covered in fine thorns.
She liked to bite the other woman, to leave marks on Luo Yueqing that belonged only to her. She also liked it when the other woman used even more excessive means against her—biting her, holding her tight at the brink of climax, and leaving deep, heavy marks again and again.
"Luo Yueqing," she called out in a low voice.
The Alpha on the bed was still hazy with sleep, but she instinctively pushed aside a part of her nest, slid halfway to the edge of the bed, and pressed herself against Xi Zhoulu's thigh. She buried her face in Xi Zhoulu's waist and took a deep breath, as if the other woman were some life-saving antidote.
This was, in fact, normal for an Alpha in their Susceptibility Period. During this special time, they would always become particularly clingy, wishing they could be with their Omega every second. Separation would lead to anxiety, restlessness, and even nesting behavior like Luo Yueqing's.
It was uncontrollable, something every Alpha with a partner had to experience. Even though Xi Zhoulu and she weren't marked, their pheromones had intertwined day and night, and their glands had firmly committed the other's scent to memory. During this special time, they desperately craved the other's mark.
Xi Zhoulu soothingly stroked the back of the other woman's head, smoothing out the messy strands of hair one by one.
The person in her arms kept whimpering and complaining in a sticky voice, "Xi Zhoulu, what took you so long to come back?"
Xi Zhoulu lowered her gaze, answering good-naturedly, "Yes, I came back late."
"My Susceptibility Period is here."
"I know."
She nuzzled into her embrace and added, "I missed you so much. I waited for you for so long."
Xi Zhoulu seemed to smile, the corners of her lips lifting in a faint arc. She said softly, "Then is there something I need to do to compensate you?"
You see, speaking with a capitalist was always simple. There was no need for roundabout words or false fronts. You just had to tell her what you had, and the shrewdly calculating capitalist would immediately offer a corresponding price, making a deal that satisfied both parties.
Luo Yueqing, who had already tasted more than enough sweetness here, wrapped her arms tightly around the other's waist and, in the next second, bit down on her flat abdomen.
Her request was always the same. There was no need for repetition; they both knew it by heart.
The winter sun shone brightly outside, its light stretching into long shadows within the room. The open curtains swayed in the wind, making the shadows on the floor dance.
The wheelchair was carelessly pushed aside, the meticulously chosen clothes from the morning tossed far away. Those clothes, holding Xi Zhoulu's scent, were stained with deeper wet patches, now thoroughly imprinted with the fragrance of sweet chestnuts.
Pale, slender fingers curled, gripping the edge of the pillow tightly. They couldn't hold on for even a moment before the person on top of her grabbed her hand, easily slipping their fingers between hers and pressing them into a tight clasp.
This brief moment of comfort brought on an even more urgent assault. An Alpha in their Susceptibility Period was always like this—only gentle in fleeting moments of clarity, spending most of the time in a chaotic, anxious state of craving.
Before Xi Zhoulu could make a sound, she was led deeper by the insatiable Alpha. Her half-lidded eyes were misty at the corners. She felt like a plank of wood on the sea, sinking and surfacing, experiencing what it meant to be alive on the very edge of suffocation, time and time again.
As the winter sun began to set and the light receded, the people waiting outside finally left.
Xi Zhoulu trembled, clinging tightly to Luo Yueqing, who was pressed against her, and demanded over and over, "Mark me. Mark me."
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