Chapter 5

Xu Bai rolled out of bed. Despite the autumn season, the weather remained sweltering. The air conditioning in the ward was set to a frigid temperature, so she put on a jacket and stalked over, her face scowling.

The ward lights were dim, and Xu Bai gambled that Duan Chi, this "blind as a bat" would have trouble seeing clearly.

"What is it?" Xu Bai asked stiffly. "Are you uncomfortable?"

Duan Chi opened her eyes and sat up gracefully. Just as she was about to speak, she met Xu Bai's resentful gaze and her terrifying, nighttime makeup. The Alpha felt her heart stop.

"Xu Bai," Duan Chi said, taking a deep breath and controlling her emotions. "You don't take your makeup off at night?"

Xu Bai blushed slightly at this. "I was afraid you might come looking for me at night. I had to be sure I looked my best for you."

"If you hadn't spoken, I would have thought a vengeful spirit had come to claim my soul."

"Say one more word, and I'll hang myself from your bedpost."

"I need to use the restroom," Duan Chi said, getting back to the point and calming herself. "Help me."

Xu Bai glanced at the distance between the bed and the bathroom. Even if Duan Chi's legs were broken, she could crawl there in two minutes.

"Your head is the only injured part. Your hands and feet are perfectly fine."

Xu Bai chuckled, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You can get up and walk over yourself."

"Ah, I'm dizzy. I need someone to help me."

Duan Chi's acting was terrible. Xu Bai closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them and said calmly, "Do you want me to carry you to the bathroom?"

Little baby.

Pfft!

"Okay."

Duan Chi readily opened her arms, tilting her head back. "Come on, carry me over."

Xu Bai stared at Duan Chi coldly. If she could lift this Alpha, she'd have thrown her out the window in a heartbeat.

"I'll help you up."

Xu Bai's voice trailed off as she bent down to help Duan Chi up. "Ugh!"

Duan Chi collapsed entirely onto Xu Bai, her body suddenly bending under the weight. Xu Bai grunted, Duan Chi wishing she could have exerted absolutely no force, nearly dragging her into the bathroom.

"Wow, your dizziness is really something," Xu Bai gritted out. She was much thinner than Duan Chi, the Alpha completely blocking her view. She took a breath, feeling like she was carrying a mountain. "Darling, are you doing this on purpose?"

Duan Chi, feigning helplessness, denied it. "No, I just don't have any strength."

Hypocritical.

"So that's how it is."

Xu Bai took Duan Chi's hand and struggled to drag her to the bathroom. "Go ahead. Do you need me to help you with your pants?"

She tilted her head back, adjusting her breathing. Leaning against the doorframe, she panted softly, "Don't be shy. I've seen it all."

Duan Chi turned to look at Xu Bai, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Is that so? We really are quite the loving couple, then."

Seeing that Duan Chi was genuinely about to unbutton her pants, Xu Bai pressed her lips together and closed the door. While waiting, she patted the hand she had used to drag Duan Chi, momentarily regretting not pinching the woman a few times.

She didn't look at the ward light; the only illumination still came from the bathroom.

Xu Bai rubbed her face. She was exhausted but couldn't sleep. She should have pretended to be asleep for a while longer. Why had she gotten up the moment Duan Chi called her?

"What are you thinking about?"

The door suddenly burst open, making Xu Bai jump. She clicked her tongue in irritation. As she looked up at Duan Chi, the Alpha said, "Are you tired of me being a bother?"

"How dare I, my darling," Xu Bai spat out, the last two words barely escaping through gritted teeth. "I love you so much."

Duan Chi smiled. "Yes, I'll slowly find our way back to each other. And I'm not really mad at you. After all, you got up the moment I called. You care about me too much."

Xu Bai had just been trying to turn the situation around, and Duan Chi's words only made her feel more frustrated. But for now, she just nodded politely. "I do worry about you. I'm afraid of your headaches, your leg pain, and your weakness."

Duan Chi accepted it gracefully. "Thank you for your concern. But why haven't you been sleeping?"

"How did you know I wasn't sleeping?"

Xu Bai froze. She narrowed her eyes at Duan Chi and took a small, cautious step backward. Could she really be a freak?

"Your breathing is too loud," Duan Chi said, glancing at Xu Bai. She lowered her gaze to assess their distance and then spoke slowly. "It's disturbing me."

Disturbing her?

Wow.

Xu Bai felt as if the world had suddenly lit up, illuminated by Duan Chi's words. She didn't understand at first, but then she burst into laughter, finding it increasingly absurd. "Ha."

"I'm truly sorry if I'm disturbing you."

There was no amusement in Xu Bai's eyes. She wanted to smother Duan Chi with a pillow. "I'll try to control my breathing."

Duan Chi nodded. "I'm still a bit fragile. I need you to take good care of me."

She walked back to the bed and lay down. "I'll have to trouble you a lot."

Xu Bai watched Duan Chi's steady steps and asked softly, "Does your head still feel dizzy?"

Duan Chi hummed. "Much better."

So draining the water from my head made the dizziness go away, huh?

Xu Bai couldn't sleep anyway. She pulled up a chair and sat beside Duan Chi's bed, then took two tissues and began rubbing them together in her hands. "Go to sleep. I'll stay with you."

Duan Chi sensed Xu Bai's presence beside her and felt a subtle sense of danger. She had a feeling that if she closed her eyes, she might never open them again.

"Xu Bai, do you really value the S City collaboration?"

Duan Chi brought up the matter abruptly. Xu Bai, who had been focused on making something, looked up. "I do. Are you willing to give it to me?"

Duan Chi found this amusing. "On what grounds?"

Then why are you even talking about it?

Xu Bai fell silent. If Duan Chi had nothing more to say, she could just shut up.

"The head of that company will be in Port City the day after tomorrow."

Duan Chi didn't really care about this project. She had probably gone to S City to get through her rut in the first place, and the collaboration was just a side benefit. But since Xu Bai valued it so much, it gave her a leverage point.

Having lost her memory, Xu Bai had forgotten that her trip to S City to ride out her rut was actually meant to enrage Xu Bai.

Xu Bai's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Duan Chi. Not a trace of trust remained in her heart, only suspicion. "What does that mean?"

"You want to know so badly? Then go get it yourself. I can give you an introduction."

Duan Chi savored Xu Bai's stunned expression, her mood brightening with it. Xu Bai was like a pet she'd raised—give her a sweet treat and she'd smile. How cute, how amusing.

Xu Bai met Duan Chi's mocking gaze, her lips thinning. She rose and moved toward Duan Chi with a soft, almost fragile gait, lowering her head until their breaths mingled.

Duan Chi could feel Xu Bai's presence. The scent of red flower oil had faded from the Omega, replaced by a faint fragrance she couldn't quite place. Her breath caught, and her scent gland twitched lightly.

An alpha and an omega alone. Her rut had only just passed.

"What are you thinking about?"

Xu Bai instantly guessed Duan Chi's thoughts. Human desires were transparent. Duan Chi had desire, but nothing more—no affection, no warmth, just pure, unadulterated need.

She had heard gossip about Duan Chi, the Alpha, saying she was highly sensual, needing an Omega to stay by her side day and night during her rut, and was quite fickle.

Looking at it that way, it seemed plausible.

"I was thinking about your pheromone—hiss."

Duan Chi gasped as Xu Bai forcefully stuffed a wad of paper into her ear. The surrounding sounds muffled, but she could clearly read Xu Bai's lips: "I'm making you earplugs."

Now she was certain of one thing: Xu Bai held a strong grudge.

Without giving Duan Chi a chance to speak, Xu Bai turned and retreated to her room. The abandoned Alpha quickly threw away the paper wads. What she had wanted to say was that their pheromones seemed highly compatible.

But the conversation had been ruined by two wads of paper.

"Boring."

Duan Chi lay back down on the bed, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep, leaving Xu Bai awake until dawn.

Xu Bai rose early. By the time Duan Chi woke at 6:30 AM, she had already reapplied her makeup, styled her hair, and was sitting at the dining table eating breakfast.

"You're up so early."

"The early bird catches the worm."

Xu Bai took a sip of soy milk, then finished her fried dough stick. Wiping her mouth, she pointed to the unopened congee. "Your breakfast. Your assistant will be here to get you in a bit. I have to go to work now. See you later."

Duan Chi didn't try to stop her. She glanced briefly at Xu Bai's breakfast and said in a low voice, "See you later."

She noticed that Omegas had hearty appetites and a particular fondness for greasy foods.

Duan Chi picked up her phone and sent a message to someone: "Investigate Xu Bai for me. The more details, the better."

Once at the company, Xu Bai asked her subordinate to look into whether anyone from the S City company was coming to Port City. If so, they were to keep a close eye on them. The Xu Corporation hadn't always been in such dire straits; it had thrived during her mother's lifetime. But when Xu Bai was just four years old, her mother died. Her mother...

Her mother had been too trusting of outsiders, bit by bit undermining the Xu Corporation until it was nearly impossible for Xu Bai to take over and manage it effectively when she came of age.

Xu Bai sat in her office chair, wondering why Duan Chi had told her this. Had she suddenly developed a conscience?

Regardless, she was still happy if Duan Chi was truly willing to let go. If she could leverage Duan Chi's fame... Tsk, she'd hit the jackpot.

Xu Bai cleared her throat. The moment she opened her laptop, her stomach churned violently. Her face instantly paled, and she bolted for the restroom in the break room. Her foot slipped, and she lost her balance, falling to her knees on the smooth tile with a bang. Ignoring the pain, she lifted the toilet lid and vomited.

Everything she'd eaten that morning came up.

Black spots swam before Xu Bai's eyes, and she could even see stars floating in her vision. She laughed bitterly, gasping for breath as she adjusted herself on the floor. Her knees throbbed, and her still-healing ankle finally screamed in agony. Her breathing trembled, and she remained hunched over, unable to stand for a long time.

This floor is too slippery.

I almost died.

Xu Bai struggled to support herself and rose to her feet, gritting her teeth to suppress a cry of pain. Limping to the sink, she splashed cold water on her face. Before she could even wipe it dry, her phone buzzed insistently in her pocket.

She pulled out the phone, annoyance etched on her face. The message was from Duan Chi: Come have lunch with me.

Xu Bai: "Shameless."

Duan Chi: I can help you with that S City project.

Xu Bai: "Oh."

She slowly typed: Alright, my dear.