VBNWDW - Chapter 45
Chapter 45
On a quiet and leisurely afternoon, workers arrived in a hurry, tools in tow, to plant delicate rose vines on what was once a flat lawn.
There was no need to worry about the effects of winter. The castle's owner had enough wealth to spend a fortune hiring the most experienced gardeners to build a sufficiently warm sunroom.
As they worked, filled with envy, they drove their iron shovels into the ground, turning over the meticulously cared-for turf.
Xi Zhoulu glanced out the study window, then turned back to her desk after a brief rest.
An open folder lay on the desk. Her pale, well-proportioned fingers were curled around a jewel-encrusted fountain pen. With a strange tremor, a drop of ink fell onto the page, blooming into a black dot.
Xi Zhoulu bit her lower lip, but she still couldn't suppress a stifled gasp.
The Alpha's Susceptibility Period had come on strong. Xi Zhoulu had no choice but to cancel all her appointments and work from home to accompany Luo Yueqing through her first Heat since becoming her partner.
Perhaps because she was an S-Class Alpha, Luo Yueqing's stamina was immense. During a brief respite, Xi Zhoulu couldn't help but search on her phone. Luo Yueqing's state was just as intense as others had described, if not more so. It wasn't until late into the night that she showed faint signs of lucidity, but she was quickly overwhelmed by the Heat again.
The long night of pleasure hadn't ended by the time Xi Zhoulu lost consciousness. When she woke again, it was already afternoon.
The housekeeper, who had realized something was amiss last night, had arranged everything, sealing off the entire floor. Aside from delivering meals and documents, no one was allowed upstairs.
The exhaust fan, which hadn't been used in a long time, was also working tirelessly, but the scent of pheromones still lingered in the air, dispersing and reconvening, somewhat distracting.
With another shudder, the ink on the pen's nib gathered into a bead and fell with a soft plop, blossoming into a round flower on the page.
This document would probably need to be reprinted, Xi Zhoulu thought, her mind hazy.
But there was nothing she could do about it.
An Alpha in their Susceptibility Period was clingy and refused to leave her side for even a second. Even when she was washing up, Luo Yueqing would hug her tightly from behind, like a giant package attached to her body.
But now was a critical moment. The Xi father and son were in a fiery rush to prove their capabilities. They had met with several people all day yesterday and had even canceled several projects Xi Zhoulu had previously secured, willing to risk the penalty fees.
It was hard to say if they detested Xi Zhoulu to that extent or were just anxious to establish their authority, especially since these were projects that even the Old Master had previously approved of.
But this was a good thing for Xi Zhoulu. Early this morning, another secretary under her—the one who was officially on the Xi Group's payroll but rarely appeared—had called her for instructions, hoping she would step in and divert these projects to her own company.
That was right. Although Xi Zhoulu had worked at the Xi Group for a long time, she had secretly maintained her own assets, such as the private hospital where she had received treatment and several companies in different industries, all completely separate from the Xi Group. Besides her and this secretary, not even Li Qingli knew the full extent of it.
However, in order to drag down the Xi Group over the past two days, this company had signed several large contracts with them. Li Qingli probably had a general idea by now.
The price of distraction was steep.
Xi Zhoulu had just recovered slightly when the Alpha under the desk bit down on that vital place, sucking forcefully. Moisture dripped from the edge of her short skirt, leaving a dark stain on the leather office chair.
The fountain pen she could no longer hold was tossed aside. Xi Zhoulu began to regret her decision to wear a short skirt.
But her regret was useless. Luo Yueqing had taken all her clothes to build a nest, and they had been used as padding beneath them last night without being tidied up. Naturally, not a single piece had survived.
Just now, after rummaging through her closet for a long time, she had finally found a wearable outfit among the clothes she had never worn.
It was from the studio that often custom-made her clothes. Although Xi Zhoulu's usual attire consisted of very formal suits or slightly more casual long-sleeved shirts and trousers, she would still receive one or two formal shirt-and-skirt sets every year, like a free gift with a package deal.
Xi Zhoulu never paid them any mind, simply tossing them into the corner with her rarely worn clothes. Now, it had become her only option.
Finding it a nuisance, the person under the desk had haphazardly yanked the black skirt up, turning the knee-length skirt into something with the effect of a hip-hugging one.
As if that wasn't enough, Luo Yueqing deliberately lifted her thigh higher.
This was killing her.
Even though a mountain of documents was waiting to be processed, Xi Zhoulu couldn't help but lean back. The buttons on her blouse were torn open, revealing her straight, delicate collarbones.
This unrestrained, round-after-round behavior truly made her feel troubled. Perhaps because her injuries had been more severe before, her Heat had never been induced, so she could only endure it all with a clear mind.
The hand that had been gripping the pen finally came to rest on her waist, offering meager support, like a willow branch battered by a storm finding another branch to cling to, barely holding on to keep from breaking.
The ceiling before her blurred, eventually dissolving into a sheet of white.
Xi Zhoulu took a deep breath, finally sitting fully back in her chair.
The temporarily satisfied Alpha finally poked her head out from under the desk. Her light-colored eyes were stained with the vibrant hue of an Ecuadorian Red Wine Rose, and the corners of her lips were slick with crystalline moisture.
Xi Zhoulu looked down at her and tugged at her wrist, probably intending to pull her up, but she lacked the strength and could only make a token gesture.
Fortunately, a temporarily sated Luo Yueqing was a clever and obedient Alpha. She lazily climbed up and sat on Xi Zhoulu's lap.
Strands of pink and black hair tangled together.
Luo Yueqing drew out her words, complaining pitifully, "My knees hurt."
She was the one who had slowly slid down from Xi Zhoulu's embrace, and now she had the nerve to act pitiful.
Xi Zhoulu took a moment to recover, her breathing still short and rapid, but in the next second, she found the other's knees and began rubbing them in gentle circles.
Indeed, Luo Yueqing's thick skin was entirely a product of her own spoiling.
What kind of Alpha, after causing such a fuss, needed the long-suffering Omega to rub their knees?
And not only that, Xi Zhoulu's other hand rested on Luo Yueqing's back, stroking it from top to bottom as if afraid she might be tired.
Luo Yueqing was like a large dog, draping herself over Xi Zhoulu after eating her fill, resting her head on the other's shoulder and closing her eyes to rest.
Outside, the work was halfway done. The workers moved the excavated soil to one side and began placing the rose seedlings into the holes.
Luo Yueqing saw this and smiled. "Are those roses?"
Xi Zhoulu's reply was a bit slow. The prolonged deep breathing had made her lips pale. She steadied her voice before saying, "Yes. We're going to plant an entire field of them."
Luo Yueqing chuckled softly. Unlike the other woman, her lips were red and moist, glistening as she teased, "Can't CEO Xi live without roses anymore? There have to be roses both inside and out."
Xi Zhoulu was exasperated, feeling that the woman was stating the obvious. She tilted her head slightly to expose the back of her neck and said, "What do you think?"
On her long, white neck were several bite marks, especially around her gland—all Luo Yueqing's handiwork from the previous night. Perhaps it was an Alpha's instinct at play; once she bit down, she refused to let go. She insisted on biting that spot, pinning Xi Zhoulu down, and doing it again and again in an extremely awkward position.
When she was lucid, she used so-called Alpha instincts as an explanation, saying it was an innate flaw hidden in her bones—to bite her partner's vital spot and refuse to let go.
Xi Zhoulu was so angry she rolled her eyes uncharacteristically, but she was helpless against her.
The work outside continued, but the work inside had paused for a while. Just as Xi Zhoulu had recovered a bit and was about to notify her subordinate to reprint the document, Luo Yueqing bit her neck again.
Here we go again…
Xi Zhoulu thought helplessly, mustering a final, struggling plea, "Water. A sip of water."
Fortunately, the Alpha on top of her still had a shred of reason. She casually picked up a water glass and brought it to Xi Zhoulu's lips.
It was a special concoction with goji berries and deer antler, kept at a temperature that was just right to drink.
Xi Zhoulu drank more than half the glass before a hint of color returned to her pale lips.
Luo Yueqing, draped over her, leaned in. Seeing her drinking it, she wanted a taste but was pushed away.
"You're not allowed to drink this," Xi Zhoulu said, her face uncharacteristically stern as she refused her.
Luo Yueqing didn't insist. She placed the offered glass back on the desk and pressed close to her ear, speaking in a sticky-sweet voice, "What's more important, work or me?"
It was a mystery why she would even ask such a question when the answer was so obvious. If it weren't to be with her, Xi Zhoulu would have been out at a social engagement by now.
Xi Zhoulu couldn't be bothered to answer. She simply raised a hand to wrap around her waist, preventing an accidental fall.
Receiving no answer, Luo Yueqing came to her own conclusion and then said unreasonably, "No more work. Stay with me."
One had to wonder what kind of kept canary would be so brazenly self-assured, as if she were the benefactor herself. She didn't even consider who would support her if Xi Zhoulu didn't work.
But the benefactor didn't even scold her. She just patted her head helplessly and said in a gentle voice, "Be good."
Luo Yueqing hummed and whined in dissatisfaction, biting Xi Zhoulu's neck again to express her displeasure.
Utterly spoiled.
The warm sun outside was bright, its long rays reaching through the window to fall on the desk and the person being held on it. Her pale skin looked even more delicate and smooth in the sunlight, faint bluish veins visible, becoming more pronounced as her muscles tensed.
The mountain of documents was pushed aside by a maliciously vengeful hand, all of them sent scattering to the floor.
Xi Zhoulu tried to stop her but her hand was pressed down and guided to a damp place, then forced to follow the other's fingertips until they reached the deepest part.
Her breath hitched.
The special concoction she had just drunk seemed to be working. Xi Zhoulu was now contributing her own part to the effort that was making her back ache.
The sole surviving short skirt met a tragic end, ultimately joining the pile of clothes to be soaked in clean water.
Which was more important, work or Luo Yueqing? Xi Zhoulu hadn't answered, but the mischievous woman had already learned how to eliminate the other option.
The early winter wind carried a chill, trying to squeeze through the cracks in the window, but it was blocked by the thick pheromones, unable to get in at all. The exhaust fan continued its futile work.
A servant came upstairs to deliver lunch, knocked twice, and then consciously put down the tray and left.
Chaotic light and shadows carpeted the study floor. Xi Zhoulu was finally allowed to free her hands to hold Luo Yueqing tightly, but this didn't signal an end. Rather, it meant the Alpha wanted to speed up the process.
The scent of roses laced with red wine enveloped the Omega, like thorny vines wrapping around her entire body.
Xi Zhoulu didn't resist, simply enduring it time and time again.
The water glass on the desk was finally empty, even the bitter medicinal herbs held in her mouth.
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