VBNWDW - Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Xi Zhoulu felt like she'd had a very long dream. In it, everything had changed. Luo Yueqing was no longer that arrogant and audacious fox, but had become kind, yet foolish.
From the day they first met, she felt like a bystander, yet also inside Xi Zhoulu's body. She just couldn't make any decisions of her own free will, like a soul stuffed into a pre-programmed shell.
But she could understand every decision this shell made, because they were decisions she herself would have made.
She watched herself test the waters, step by step, while the other Luo Yueqing passed the tests, completely unaware. Yes, she merely passed the tests, unlike the woman she knew, who was always giving her surprises, always keeping her on her toes.
They met and gradually grew closer. That Luo Yueqing, with her pure and good-natured personality, made Xi Zhoulu slowly let down her guard and allow her to approach.
But she also understood clearly that this Luo Yueqing would not be a suitable partner for her. The situation of the Xi family heir, so glamorous on the surface, was extremely dangerous and difficult. Jackals and tigers lay ahead, and an endless cliff was behind. The slightest misstep would not only send her plummeting, but everyone around her as well.
So Xi Zhoulu could only hide things from her, sheltering her under her own wings, carefully, afraid of exposing her to others.
But how could she be completely protected?
The moment they married, Luo Yueqing was destined to be brought into the light.
Old Master Xi, Xi Yunting, Xi Zhoukang, and even those who admired Xi Zhoulu—they all extended their claws toward this Luo Yueqing.
Luo Yueqing went from initial disbelief to gradually wavering. The seed of doubt, once planted, grew ceaselessly. She didn't know how to act spoiled or throw tantrums to prove her sincerity, nor could she see what Xi Zhoulu truly cared about. She was only busy trying to distance herself from her.
And what about Xi Zhoulu?
She was already sensitive and suspicious by nature. A disabled Omega who grew up in a repressive environment, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, she couldn't suppress the extreme paranoia etched into her bones. It was the pain brought by the years gone by, merely suppressed by reason for a time, never showing even a hint of itself.
But Luo Yueqing made her lose control, driving her to incomprehensible, extreme behaviors, like punishment, imprisonment, and reverse marking.
No one had ever taught Xi Zhoulu how to love someone. The Old Master had only told her how to make choices, how to obtain the greatest benefit.
Xi Zhoulu didn't want to let go, so she tried every method to make her stay.
Using debt, threatening her with her parents, preventing others from seeing her—Xi Zhoulu gave up most of her work, leaving the office to go home on time every single day.
But the distance between them only grew wider.
By the end of this marriage, Mrs. Luo was still Mrs. Luo, but the names on the marriage certificate had changed to Xi Zhoukang and Luo Yueqing.
She thought she had lost.
Perhaps this was fate.
They were both born into the Xi family, yet she was just an heir forced into existence, subjected to all sorts of tests since childhood, required to meet standards impossible for ordinary people. She even had to endure chaotic kidnappings, and a single moment of carelessness cost her the right to stand.
And Xi Zhoukang?
A child who grew up in the love and anticipation of his parents. They considered everything for him, even sending him to an ordinary public school to protect him, to keep him out of certain people's sight, which also allowed him to meet Luo Yueqing early on.
His entire life was fortunate. It was as if he could just stand there, not fighting or scrambling for anything, and people would rush to place things in his hands, as if those things were rightfully his all along. Xi Zhoulu was just a thief who had temporarily occupied them.
Xi Zhoulu was bewildered and confused. The complex and fragile emotions consumed most of her energy, making it difficult to handle her work. Or perhaps she just couldn't figure it out, a smart person caught in a web of overthinking.
If everything was meant to be Xi Zhoukang's, then why was she allowed to possess it, even for a short while?
Was it to test the waters for him, to build the bridge ahead of time?
Xi Zhoulu, who detested them so much, would naturally never agree. It was as if everything she had overlooked had turned into evidence, and Old Master Xi's will was the final proof.
Finally, Xi Zhoulu gained control of this body, but she didn't stop the decisions that had been set in motion.
Exhausted, she sat in her office chair, looking out at the increasingly chaotic city, and thought: Let it all be destroyed. Though she didn't know what was happening or why she was here, if her Luo Yueqing wasn't here, then it was better for it all to be destroyed quickly. There was nothing that made her feel it was worth existing.
A terrible world, a terrible plot.
She threw the Imperial Star into turmoil, dragging the Qin Family and the others along with her into this madness.
Xi Zhoulu stayed in her office for three days without eating or drinking, watching the sun rise and the moon set. She watched the skyscraper next door explode and the streets fill with bankrupt people. She wondered why she hadn't left this awful world yet, why she wasn't dead yet.
The deep black of night climbed up her ankles, gradually consuming her. The reflection in the black glass was pale and weak, her wrists so slender they looked as if they would snap with a gentle touch. The shirt hung on her as if she might float away at any moment.
Xi Zhoulu's peripheral vision caught it, and she shifted her gaze to stare intently at the glass, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
She wondered why Luo Yueqing hadn't appeared yet, to angrily accuse her of tormenting herself like this, and then pull out all sorts of unequal contracts for her to sign. To punish her with something akin to a reward, making her remember it deeply, over and over, until she was crying and panting, promising it would never happen again.
How could she wake up from this dream?
She remembered that afternoon, when that Luo Yueqing had come to find her. Xi Zhoukang was incompetent to begin with; he looked glamorous on the outside, but all his assets were in his parents' names. Now that Luo Yueqing had lost her usefulness, he left her with only a bit of false affection. How could he possibly cover the expenses of her gambling father and her mother, who required enormous daily medical fees?
And since Luo Yueqing hadn't worked in a long time, once her savings were gone, she could only come here to beg.
She watched with cold eyes as a completely unfamiliar soul occupied a shell so similar to Luo Yueqing's, her sorrowful eyes downcast, only remembering the other's kindness after hitting a dead end, weeping and pleading.
Xi Zhoulu felt a little disgusted. Several times, she wondered if that person died, would her Alpha appear here?
Unfortunately, Xi Zhoulu didn't act.
She couldn't bear to. Even if the other person wasn't the one she loved, she wore Luo Yueqing's face, and she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Besides, Xi Zhoulu thought, this world was too awful. It was right for Luo Yueqing not to come. Luo Yueqing shouldn't come to this devastated world. Her rose should remain in a comfortable and magnificent castle, where she could open the window in the morning and look out at a field of blooming red. That was the gift she had carefully prepared for her.
So she just waved her hand and agreed to continue funding her mother's treatment and to put her father in a gambling rehabilitation center.
Curled up in the office chair, Xi Zhoulu wrapped a blanket tightly around herself. Her consciousness gradually grew muddled, and she drowsily closed her eyes.
When she woke up again…
"Xi Zhoulu!"
"Xi Zhoulu, you're awake?"
She opened her eyes in a daze and saw that person anxiously holding her in an embrace. It was clearly the same face, yet she could accurately distinguish that this was her Luo Yueqing.
"Xi Zhoulu, how are you? You suddenly went into a heat wave two days ago, and then you passed out."
Her heat had come?
Xi Zhoulu froze. Ever since last time, her heat hadn't appeared. The doctor's examination yielded no answers, only telling her to rest more and work less. Aunt Lin had even sent for traditional medicine, which she drank for half a month to no effect. Just when both she and Luo Yueqing had given up, it had suddenly appeared.
"Xi Zhoulu?" Luo Yueqing saw that she wasn't answering and couldn't help but ask again. Xi Zhoulu had only been unconscious for two short days, but she herself had lost a circle of weight, looking even more haggard than the person who had been in a coma.
Only then did Xi Zhoulu come back to her senses. Her pale, grayish-blue eyes reflected the other's figure. She wanted to say something, but only one sentence came out: "Luo Yueqing, I missed you so much."
She raised her hand to hook it around Luo Yueqing's neck, hugging her tightly. The force was unusually strong, as if a lost treasure had been recovered, as if she wanted to knead her into her very bones and blood.
Luo Yueqing didn't understand, but she hugged her back, patting Xi Zhoulu's back gently and coaxing in a low voice, "It's okay now, it's okay."
Xi Zhoulu didn't speak, burying her face in her neck. She tilted her head and bit down on a piece of soft flesh, pressing the teeth marks down little by little.
The spot she bit was dangerous, close to the throbbing carotid artery, a place the doctor had repeatedly warned her not to touch. If she moved just a little forward, and applied a little more force…
Luo Yueqing felt it but didn't try to stop her. Her long hair intertwined with the black strands, like vines weaving together, inseparable.
Only when Xi Zhoulu had calmed down a bit and voluntarily released her teeth did she say gently, "Xi Zhoulu, did you have a nightmare?"
Xi Zhoulu's muffled voice was the reply: "Mmm…"
"What kind of dream was it?" Luo Yueqing held her tighter, trying to alleviate Xi Zhoulu's pain.
Xi Zhoulu shook her head and only said, "That's not important."
Luo Yueqing was taken aback.
Then she heard Xi Zhoulu tilt her head and press it against her ear, panting, "Luo Yueqing, let's do it."
The scent of burning charcoal suddenly filled the entire room, sealing off the cold air from outside, leaving only the sweet smell of chestnuts hidden within the embers.
The Alpha, who was usually in control, was pulled down by the neck, falling.
Black strands of hair fanned out on the pristine white pillowcase like strange and complex patterns. A matching nightgown fell to the floor, revealing fair skin like precious white porcelain that was difficult to fire, inviting one to trace vibrant peach blossoms across it.
Luo Yueqing was somewhat restrained, mindful that this person had just woken up, not daring to be too rough.
But Xi Zhoulu was dissatisfied. She tugged at Luo Yueqing's collar and asked with a half-smile, "Luo Yueqing, are you not good enough?"
To an Alpha, this was almost the most unacceptable insult.
Luo Yueqing's peach-blossom eyes narrowed, a smile freezing on her lips. She didn't speak, but used her actions to express whether she was good enough or not.
The Omega, changing from her usual quietness, spoke intermittently, "Harder… harder…"
"Faster…"
"Luo Yueqing, did you forget to eat?"
Sweat slid down her long, slender neck, pooling in the triangular hollow formed by her collarbone and shoulder. Her long hair stuck to her body, a bit annoying. The dark bedsheets were stained with messy wet patches, showing signs of seeping through.
Her slender waist suddenly tensed, arching like a bright crescent moon. After a shiver, it relaxed again, trembling as it fell back onto the bed.
The price for her arrogant words was steep. Even an Omega in heat couldn't withstand the relentless continuation.
Outside, the snow fell heavier and heavier, forming a thin layer of ice on the windowpane, obscuring the scene inside the room.
But for some reason, someone seemed to think of wiping the window. A well-proportioned back pressed against the glass, imprinting lines of varying lengths. Then, it became completely still, like a playful child feeling the cold temperature.
But strangely, this person didn't seem to mind the cold despite being pressed against it for so long. Beads of sweat trickled down like a stream, and there was a feeling of growing hotter and hotter.
Suddenly, the sound of a slap was heard.
A certain angered fox chided in a low voice, "Open up. What are you hiding for?"
"Xi Zhoulu, are you not good enough anymore?"
The same words were returned. Xi Zhoulu hugged the other person tightly, offering the soft curves of her body to the other's lips as if to please her.
The narrow windowsill made it difficult to sit, but it was extremely convenient for the other person, who thrust forcefully again and again, receiving a gentle and warm embrace in return.
The scent of charcoal in the room was suppressed, mixed with the rich fragrance of roses. It wasn't unpleasant; it reminded one of steaming hot rose milk tea, a good thing to ward off the winter chill.
It seemed someone was knocking on the door outside, but neither of the two inside paid it any mind. The trail of moisture went from the bedside to the windowsill, then fell into the bathroom. Steam filled the air, and the sound of splashing water pattered on without stopping.
Xi Zhoulu's long-overdue heat ended very slowly. In this winter, it was stretched out indefinitely. Luo Yueqing would always give her deeper, more unforgettable sensations, using them to erase the fear from her nightmare.
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