Chapter 19
Song Jinzhi's return to Song Corporation delighted some and displeased others. The delighted group naturally consisted of the younger employees who had previously worked under her. As a leader, although Song Jinzhi was an Omega, she was nothing like the indecisive person they had assumed she would be. Song Jinzhi handled matters with clean efficiency and possessed her own unique insights; when negotiating business, she carried herself with the poise of a queen. She was no less capable than any Alpha, that was Jennifer's assessment of her, and the impression most people formed after interacting with Song Jinzhi.
The other group, however, saw things very differently. The Song family enterprise was vast, and the Song family itself was a sizable clan. Song Jinzhi's father, Song Qi, was the eldest of his generation, and he had a younger brother whom the younger generation all called Second Uncle Song. In Song Jinzhi's mind, Second Uncle Song was never an easy person to get along with.
He detested Omegas going out and appearing in public, even believing that Omegas should stay home raising children and supporting their husbands, the exact opposite of Song Jinzhi, who fought for equal rights. Second Uncle Song held the position of vice general manager at Song Corporation, while Song Jinzhi was the general manager. She still remembered how eagerly Second Uncle Song had pressured her to resign from her job after she became engaged to Gu Sijiu, urging her to stay home and properly accompany her wife, and to stop coming out to do such demanding work.
The demanding work Second Uncle Song referred to was, of course, the position of general manager at Song Corporation. Song Jinzhi had no desire to argue with him about it, and she knew very well that he had been whispering in her parents' ears, telling them she should act like a normal Omega, stop thinking about work, and focus on the family. This time, the most unhappy person about Song Jinzhi's return to Song Corporation was undoubtedly Second Uncle Song, along with the group of people working under him.
Unhappy as they were, they at least had to maintain a surface level of propriety. When Song Jinzhi arrived at the company early in the morning, she saw many of the company's senior managers waiting at the entrance for her. Upon seeing her, they approached with beaming smiles. Song Jinzhi greeted each of them, nodded to Second Uncle Song, and then asked Jennifer to show her to her former office.
"President Song, you're finally back! We've missed you so much!" Song Jinzhi was young and had a good temperament. Many of Song Corporation's employees respected her and also considered her a friend, so their speech was naturally more familiar and affectionate. Watching her colleagues applaud and welcome her back, Song Jinzhi felt warmth spreading in her heart. She thanked them, entered her office, and prepared to get an update from Jennifer on Song Corporation's situation during her absence.
"President Song, here are the recent financial statements, as well as some documents that require your review." Jennifer placed the files one by one in front of Song Jinzhi. The latter responded with a soft "Mm," and immediately immersed herself in work mode. She was so occupied that she lost track of time; aside from lunch, Song Jinzhi never had a moment's rest. When she finally raised her head again, she realized it was already time to leave.
She knew she couldn't swallow everything in one gulp. She had just returned to work, and there were still plenty of matters to address, all of which would have to be handled gradually. Song Jinzhi stood up, moved her somewhat sore neck, and twisted her waist. It struck her with some dismay that after going so long without working, her body had actually become delicate, just sitting for a while was enough to make her back ache.
Song Jinzhi took some documents home to continue reviewing. When she arrived home, Gu Sijiu had just finished eating and was sitting in the living room watching television. As expected, it was yet another one of those tacky romance dramas, but Gu Sijiu was watching with great interest, seated punctually in front of the TV every day when it aired.
"You're back. How does it feel to go to work again?" Gu Sijiu saw Song Jinzhi carrying a large stack of documents home and asked lazily as she leaned back against the sofa. She herself had been a CEO before, so she knew perfectly well how busy it was to return and handle affairs after a period away. Seeing the obvious weariness on Song Jinzhi's face now, she could tell the woman was exhausted.
"It's fine, but there are still some things I haven't finished processing. I'll skip dinner tonight." Song Jinzhi glanced at the food on the table. She had neither the time nor the appetite to eat. After removing her makeup and taking a shower, she carried the documents to the study. Gu Sijiu remained outside in the living room, engrossed in her drama. When it ended, she noticed it was ten o'clock, yet the light in Song Jinzhi's study was still on.
Gu Sijiu thought for a moment, then went to the kitchen to heat up a cup of milk and a cup of coffee. The milk was naturally for herself, and she placed the coffee on Song Jinzhi's desk.
"Why don't you take a break and have some coffee? You don't want to work yourself into illness and end up needing me to take care of you."
Gu Sijiu spoke matter of factly. Song Jinzhi was somewhat surprised by her sudden entrance. She glanced at the steaming coffee, quietly said thank you, but didn't touch it, continuing to sit there and read the documents.
Song Jinzhi wasn't dressed in overly casual loungewear; she wore a white blouse and beige trousers. One of her cuffs had probably been pushed up while she was reaching for something and she had forgotten to pull it back down, exposing the delicate, pale span of her wrist. Gu Sijiu had long thought Song Jinzhi's wrists were very beautiful. The wrist bones were small, and the spot where wrist met hand was so slender it formed a nearly straight line.
Her slender fingers were holding a stack of documents, cross checking them against the files on the computer. Whenever she encountered something questionable, she would type on the keyboard, flagging the point of doubt separately. Song Jinzhi, absorbed in her work, gave Gu Sijiu a very different impression. Although Song Jinzhi usually wore this same unsmiling expression, Gu Sijiu also understood that was because she couldn't bring herself to smile when facing her. Under the current circumstances, however, Song Jinzhi clearly hadn't noticed that she was still in the room.
Her coffee brown long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her side swept bangs didn't obscure her cheeks, revealing the entirety of her refined face. Gu Sijiu had to admit, although she always teased Song Jinzhi for not being as good looking as herself, in a real comparison, Song Jinzhi was her equal. They were two different styles. Gu Sijiu knew her own appearance was the bold and fiery type, whereas Song Jinzhi's beauty resided in her skin, in her bones, and even more so in her bearing.
Her looks had a somewhat vintage quality, and her features leaned toward the gentle kind. Her nose was straight and prominent, her lips like cherry blossoms. When she looked at most people, she was always very courteous; only when she looked at her did she reveal a different feeling from usual. When she focused intently on something, the outer corners of her phoenix like eyes would tilt up ever so slightly, and her dark pupils would gleam with startling brightness.
The breeze blowing in through the window gap stirred her long hair. She raised a hand to tuck it back and noticed the coffee on the desk, deciding to take a sip. Only then did she realize that Gu Sijiu in the room still hadn't left. This discovery startled Song Jinzhi somewhat. After all, she was very sensitive to Gu Sijiu's scent. Even with the air purifier running at full power in the room, it shouldn't have completely erased the other woman's scent. The only explanation was that she had been too absorbed in the documents, combined with their recent interactions, which had led her to grow somewhat accustomed to the other's scent, allowing the other to remain in the room for so long without her noticing.
"Why haven't you left yet?" Song Jinzhi looked up at Gu Sijiu. Those gentle eyes finally revealed a few traces of impatience at this moment, completely different from the focused brilliance they had held moments before. Gu Sijiu pursed her lips and lifted the milk in front of her to take another sip. Watching her ignore the question and instead drink milk in front of her, Song Jinzhi found the scene rather bizarre and didn't know how to continue reviewing her documents.
"You also didn't say I couldn't be here, did you? Besides, when you're reading documents, your face isn't quite as ugly as usual. Unintentionally, I ended up watching a bit longer. Appreciating a beautiful Omega is every Alpha's instinct. It's only you who would treat the high quality Alpha in front of you as if she's invisible." Gu Sijiu said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Realizing she was referring to herself as a high quality Alpha, Song Jinzhi's mouth twitched, and she couldn't help but look at Gu Sijiu.
In certain respects, she had to admit, Gu Sijiu could be considered outstanding. However, this excellence was limited to her appearance alone. Her character and every other aspect could only be described as thoroughly rotten. In Song Jinzhi's heart, a truly high quality Alpha should be like Wen Qiulan, polite, composed, and respectful of every Omega, not a frivolous scumbag like Gu Sijiu who had nothing but a pretty face.
"You... forget it." Song Jinzhi spoke softly. Hearing Song Jinzhi take a jab at her, Gu Sijiu didn't get angry. Noticing that Song Jinzhi was holding her neck as if slightly uncomfortable, she suddenly moved a few steps closer.
"Your neck hurts?" Gu Sijiu's abrupt approach made Song Jinzhi instinctively lean back. They were separated by the desk, so Gu Sijiu simply leaned forward onto it, staring directly at her. She was wearing a top with a collar that wasn't too tight, and leaning over like this allowed Song Jinzhi to see at a glance her chest, cupped by her bra. Though modest, the gathering effect of the undergarment created a very deep cleavage.
"What are you doing?" Song Jinzhi hated Gu Sijiu's proximity. Although their relationship had eased somewhat, she was still on her guard. Knowing Song Jinzhi didn't like being touched, Gu Sijiu naturally had no real interest in touching her. She merely wanted to show Song Jinzhi some simple massage techniques. After all, she had once had to sit in front of a computer for long hours herself, and had researched these massage methods on her own.
"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you, if your neck hurts, pressing these two spots helps a lot. Otherwise, when you're old and paralyzed in bed, can't eat, can't drink, needing someone to help you just to use the bathroom, I won't be taking care of you."
Gu Sijiu spoke with exaggerated seriousness, ignoring Song Jinzhi's expression of utter disdain. She suddenly turned around, lifting her long, deep cherry colored hair, and pressed two spots on the back of her neck with her fingers. As Song Jinzhi looked at her long, pale nape, her gaze involuntarily fell upon the gland at the back of Gu Sijiu's neck.
Alphas couldn't be marked in the traditional sense, but if an Omega injected pheromones into their nape gland, it would still produce a sense of belonging and compliance. That spot was subtly different from the surrounding skin, bearing a pale red, oval shaped trace, and it was also the area where the scents of Alphas and Omegas were strongest. When Gu Sijiu lifted her hair aside, Song Jinzhi easily caught sight of that gland and smelled a richer concentration of scent than before.
It smelled wonderful, extremely alluring, definitely a scent many Omegas would adore. So, that Omega who had been close with Gu Sijiu, did she adore this scent too?
Realizing what she was thinking, Song Jinzhi's expression soured somewhat. Especially since Gu Sijiu was so obliviously radiating her scent, although her intentions were good, it was still interfering with her.
Song Jinzhi walked over, deciding to stop looking at documents and rest instead. Yet as she drew near Gu Sijiu, some magnetic force pulled her closer, making her want to smell the other's scent more deeply.
Gu Sijiu didn't notice Song Jinzhi approaching and was still massaging her neck with her fingers. Suddenly, a cool hand pressed against a certain spot on her nape, making her body tremble in response.
"Your scent... it's too strong." Song Jinzhi whispered. She knew her current actions were inexplicable, but she simply couldn't stop her hand from rubbing against the gland on the back of Gu Sijiu's neck. Feeling it throb faintly and release an even richer scent, Song Jinzhi felt her consciousness grow hazy. When she came back to herself, Gu Sijiu was nestled in her arms.
"Wooden Face, where are you touching? It feels pretty good. Keep rubbing a few more times."
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