Chapter 4
Song Jinzhi had showered in her room but did not rest. After finishing a simple skincare routine, she leaned back against the headboard in a daze. She glanced at the locked door for the third time, then withdrew her gaze. Just then, the sound of footsteps in the hallway made her heart tighten. Of course she knew that only she and Gu Sijiu were in this house. It was obvious whose footsteps those were.
"Miss Song? Are you asleep?" In the space of a few breaths, the footsteps stopped at the door. Hearing Gu Sijiu's voice, Song Jinzhi reflexively reached under her pillow and pulled out a small, slender stun gun. This was a self defense product the Empire had designed specifically for Omegas. The stun gun was compact and portable yet packed tremendous energy. In one second, it could discharge enough electricity to render an elephant unconscious. Not even the strongest Alpha could withstand it.
"What is it?" Song Jinzhi drew a deep breath, doing her best to keep her tone steady. "I have injuries on my back. I can't apply the medicine myself. Could you help me?" Gu Sijiu spoke softly, her tone carrying a note of entreaty. But after a moment of silence, the reply from inside the room was not what she had imagined.
"You can use a mirror to apply the medicine yourself. I need to rest. I don't want to get up again."
"But my arm is injured too. I can't bend it to reach my back." Gu Sijiu muttered quietly, her resolve already wavering. In her original world, Gu Sijiu never had a complete family. Her parents had died in a plane crash when she was very young. At that time, she did not yet understand death, she only knew that her parents had left her forever, gone to a place far away. After her parents passed, they left her a considerable sum of money. Her life did not turn out as bizarre as those in novels, and her relatives were not the kind who would exploit the vulnerable.
Her uncles had looked after her a great deal, and once she reached adulthood, they arranged a position for her in the family company. Although she lacked the love of her parents, Gu Sijiu received an abundance of care and attention. It was fair to say that the most doted upon person in the Gu Family was Gu Sijiu. She had her pride and did not wish to press Song Jinzhi any further. Gu Sijiu was about to give up and leave, but just as she turned to go, footsteps stirred inside the room.
Gu Sijiu stepped back and watched as Song Jinzhi opened the door a tiny crack, peered out at her, and only then opened the door fully. As the door swung open, a faint fragrance of hibiscus blossoms drifted out from the room. The scent was not strong, yet it branded itself with startling clarity onto her senses. The aroma unsettled Gu Sijiu. She breathed it in for a long while before finally looking up at Song Jinzhi.
She was wearing a white nightgown under a thicker outer coat. Her hair had been dried hastily, the ends still slightly damp. That head of coffee brown hair cascaded loosely; her irises were the purest black, large and bright. This was the first time Gu Sijiu had stared at another woman for so long, and the first time she had smelled Song Jinzhi's scent from such a close distance. Gu Sijiu could not help inhaling again, her curiosity piqued, did Song Jinzhi keep hibiscus flowers in her room?
"Let's go. To your room." Song Jinzhi had certainly noticed Gu Sijiu's reaction. She spoke coolly as she fastened every button of her outer coat, closed the door, and started walking. Seeing that she still wore two layers when she was about to go to sleep, every button fastened, Gu Sijiu could not tell whether Song Jinzhi was simply lying to her or had dressed that way deliberately. And the temperature in the house was not low, why was she wearing so much? Wasn't she hot?
The two of them went to Gu Sijiu's room. She handed the ointment to Song Jinzhi, then slowly untied her own sleepwear.
Gu Sijiu found the situation somewhat exasperating. She usually preferred soft, comfortable cotton nightgowns for sleeping and would never have chosen the shirt and pants pajama style the original host favored. But a glance through the original host's wardrobe revealed only this single pajama style: the same design bought in several identical colors. It was a thoroughly straightforward fashion sense.
Gu Sijiu inwardly scorned it but let nothing show. She casually shrugged off her pajamas and tossed them aside. The elegant curve of her shoulder blades traced a rolling arc beneath the light. To make it easier for Song Jinzhi to apply the ointment, Gu Sijiu lay directly on the bed, propping her head on one hand while the other pressed into the mattress, her body turned slightly to look back over her shoulder.
This was not the first time Song Jinzhi had seen Gu Sijiu's body. The only Alpha she had ever seen was, in fact, just this one. Despite her dislike of the woman, the shyness of seeing an Alpha's body still flushed Song Jinzhi's cheeks with warmth. She had not expected Gu Sijiu to do something so shameless, exposing her body so freely in front of her. The thought that she might be doing it deliberately only deepened Song Jinzhi's disgust. She stood rooted to the spot, her gaze refusing to stray toward the bed. The mere thought of the Alpha she utterly loathed lying there made her want nothing more than to flee the room entirely.
"Come here." Gu Sijiu had no idea that, in those few seconds, Song Jinzhi's thoughts had already twisted through countless turns. Tired of holding the same position, she could not help calling out to her, a hint of allure, entirely unconscious, lingering in her brow. Hearing her call, Song Jinzhi reflexively looked over. That single glance caught sight of the woman's bare back and the soft pale swell of her side breast.
Gu Sijiu was very fair. Because she always wore a military uniform, the skin of her entire body retained an untouched paleness. Her inverted V clavicles jutted out clearly. Her waist, slim enough to span with one's hands, rivaled Song Jinzhi's own. The dimples at her lower back rose and fell slightly with the motion of her propped body. A small part of her buttocks peeked out above the waistband of her sleep pants, half revealed, half concealed.
Gu Sijiu naturally noticed Song Jinzhi's line of sight. She felt there was nothing to hide when women looked at each other's bodies, so she made no effort to cover up. Only, she forgot that in this world, distinctions were not simply male and female. She was an Alpha, and Song Jinzhi was an Omega. Her actions in that moment were virtually indistinguishable from sexual harassment.
"What's wrong?" Gu Sijiu grew impatient when Song Jinzhi remained standing there for a long while without approaching, but she still strove to keep her voice gentle. She thought her attitude was still agreeable enough. Yet after she spoke, the other woman's expression soured even further. Song Jinzhi felt that Gu Sijiu's voice just then had sounded sticky and cloying. Revolting. To finish the task and leave the room as quickly as possible, Song Jinzhi sighed inwardly, picked up the ointment, and touched Gu Sijiu's back.
She could clearly sense that the moment her hand landed, Gu Sijiu's smile stiffened and her body gave an involuntary shudder. Most of the injuries on Gu Sijiu's body were superficial wounds from the car crash. There were a few shallow scratches on her back; her shoulder blades and lower back were bruised, red, and swollen. Compared to most Alphas, Gu Sijiu's build was excessively slender. Her height, in fact, did not even exceed Song Jinzhi's own. Song Jinzhi had no interest in surveying or admiring this person's body. When her gaze fell upon the two sunken dimples on the other woman's lower back, she silently averted her eyes.
This world's technology far surpassed that of the world Gu Sijiu had come from, especially in medicine. The moment the ointment touched her skin, the raw aching sensation quickly faded. Additionally, Song Jinzhi's pressure was perfectly measured. The cool ointment glided across the skin, bringing an intensely comfortable sensation. Gu Sijiu let out unconscious sighs of relief, her entire body sinking into a state of extreme relaxation. Inhaling Song Jinzhi's scent, her body stirred with a reaction she found difficult to name.
Dampness is a state that often causes extreme discomfort. Yet in certain moments, moisture can be a blessing. The core between her legs pulsed faintly; that restless nub had swollen slightly without her even noticing. Gu Sijiu could not help pressing her thighs together. The friction of her cotton underwear was distinct; a slick, wet sensation soon followed. Gu Sijiu found this physical reaction bizarre. Merely from catching Song Jinzhi's scent, her body had responded in such a strange way.
Gu Sijiu had a cleanliness obsession. Beyond that, she was an extremely picky person. Her first boyfriend, whom she dated at twenty five, was the result of her uncle's relentless matchmaking efforts. Unable to refuse and finding the man reasonably handsome, she agreed to date him to give her uncle some closure. But after spending time together, Gu Sijiu found she could not tolerate intimate physical contact with him. She particularly disliked the unpleasant scent that clung to men. The mere thought of kissing him, or even exchanging saliva, made her skin crawl. Thus, that first relationship ended in discord. The two that followed ended for much the same reason.
Gu Sijiu had never considered seeing a doctor about it. She did not think she had any problem. It was simply that the other person had not entered her heart, which made her instinctively reject getting close. Many who saw Gu Sijiu's appearance likely assumed she was highly experienced. Only she herself knew that, at twenty eight, she was still puttering around in the beginner's zone, leading a self sufficient sex life and not thinking there was anything wrong with it at all.
But now, as Song Jinzhi helped apply medicine, her underwear had become inexplicably wet without any stimulation whatsoever. Gu Sijiu felt both unable to comprehend this response and overwhelmingly ashamed. She coughed awkwardly, dodged Song Jinzhi's descending hand, and hurriedly scrambled up from the bed. Completely unaware that the air now carried not only the scent of hibiscus blossoms but also another pheromone entirely: one that belonged to herself.
Alphas and Omegas are the two most polarized human types. Yet no one can deny that they are innately designed to attract one another. For an Omega, an Alpha's pheromones are the most impossible presence to ignore. No matter how much their mind may reject it, their body's instinct is something few can resist. An Alpha's pheromones are released in response to her emotions and physical fluctuations. Some powerful Alphas, when excessively agitated, can even cause Omegas to faint.
Right now, the room was suffused with a light, refreshing peppermint scent. Even with the air purifier running, their close proximity rendered it useless. Song Jinzhi certainly knew to whom these pheromones belonged. She had smelled them on Gu Sijiu many times before. This scent had once left her with an indelible shadow, a memory that still provoked a lingering dread even now.
Yet Song Jinzhi vaguely sensed a subtle difference in these pheromones compared to before. Gu Sijiu's scent had always been an aggressive peppermint, often somewhat pungent to the nose, like an overwhelmingly strong peppermint candy that did not feel pleasant at all. But this time, the peppermint was laced with a faint lemon note. The acidity of the lemon tempered the harshness of the peppermint, transforming it into something refreshing, pleasant, and no longer irritating to the senses.
Kneeling on the bed, Song Jinzhi did not even realize she had been captivated by this scent. Her body went weak; the gland at the back of her neck gave a faint pulse, yanking her reason back into place. Song Jinzhi came to her senses and discovered that she had nearly lost control of her own mind. She looked at Gu Sijiu, who had sat up with her back to her, and her expression turned icy.
"You're still incapable of changing your ways. You utterly disgust me." Song Jinzhi's voice was several degrees colder than before. Seeing Gu Sijiu flustered, getting up from her as if fleeing a room full of deadly beasts, and leaving the room without another word, Gu Sijiu came back to herself and stared after her. Song Jinzhi's swift departure looked as though she were being chased by some flood dragon or ferocious monster. And besides, she had not done anything. How had she become disgusting?
Gu Sijiu felt indignant at the insult. She concluded that Song Jinzhi had something wrong with her brain and decided not to bother. She lay in bed for a while longer, waiting until the ointment on her back had been fully absorbed into her skin before getting up. She went to the bathroom to wipe away the stickiness between her thighs and changed into a fresh pair of underwear. Lying on the soft bed, she breathed in the lingering fragrance of hibiscus blossoms in the room and slowly drifted into a deep sleep.
In the other room, Song Jinzhi was not nearly so relaxed. The instant she entered her room, her nightgown was already soaked through with the sweat that had streamed from her body. She knew her own state must be utterly disheveled at that moment, simply because... she had smelled Gu Sijiu's scent. Song Jinzhi despised her own useless body, and she loathed Gu Sijiu even more for deliberately releasing her pheromones.
She stepped into the bathroom and stared directly at her reflection. The person in the mirror had her hair loose, her fair cheeks tinged with a faint flush. Even her eyes were glossed with a thin, glimmering sheen of moisture, her eye rims especially wet. This appearance disgusted even Song Jinzhi herself. She washed her body with slightly cool water and turned the air purifier to maximum.
Once her body had calmed down, Song Jinzhi returned to bed and lay down. Recalling the coquettish way Gu Sijiu had just behaved, disgust welled up inside her. She wanted to escape, but there was no escape to be found. From the moment she moved in here, her relationship with Gu Sijiu was already sealed. Song Jinzhi closed her eyes, wholly without any hint of drowsiness.
When the mind cannot settle, how can one ever find peaceful sleep?
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