Chapter 33
After finishing the claypot congee Gu Sijiu had made, Song Jinzhi felt as though her entire being had come back to life. With something in her stomach, the pain finally subsided. Gu Sijiu looked at the empty congee pot. She had assumed Song Jinzhi's appetite wouldn't allow for much, yet the entire pot had ended up in her stomach. She couldn't help glancing at Song Jinzhi's flat belly, somewhat curious about where all that food had actually gone.
"Full? Was it good?" Gu Sijiu held the empty claypot and asked softly. Hearing this, Song Jinzhi's body, reclining on the bed, stiffened. Truth be told, it was naturally delicious, but Song Jinzhi could see the teasing amusement in Gu Sijiu's eyes and had no intention of indulging her.
"Passable." Song Jinzhi said it breezily, as if she wasn't the one who had eaten an entire pot of congee. Gu Sijiu's lips twitched. Passable, yet she ate this much. If it were more than passable, her little claypot probably wouldn't have been enough. "I'll head out first. You rest well. If you need anything tonight, you can call for me." Gu Sijiu gave Song Jinzhi a final instruction before leaving and quietly closed the door. The room fell silent. Song Jinzhi shifted her body and found her strength had returned considerably. She got up to wash her face and brush her teeth, gave herself a simple wipe down, and then lay back in bed.
She felt a bit bored. A more fitting word was lonely. When Gu Sijiu had been here, time had passed quickly. Now that the person was gone, even though the scent of congee still faintly lingered, Song Jinzhi still felt somewhat desolate. Startled by her own thoughts, she shook her head and forced herself to sleep quickly. Sickness made one weak; even she was no exception. She was actually starting to think that spending time with Gu Sijiu was rather pleasant. No matter how she looked at it, she was seriously ill.
Song Jinzhi's illness came fast and left just as fast. After sleeping through the night and waking the next morning, she felt an invigorating freshness she hadn't experienced in a long time. She pushed open the door and walked out of the room. Gu Sijiu probably wasn't awake yet. The downstairs was empty, only the household staff preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Seeing her come down, the staff brought up the congee they had made. It was seafood congee, with fine ingredients, yet the taste was worlds apart from Gu Sijiu's congee.
Song Jinzhi forced herself to eat half a bowl before stopping. She wanted to eat something Gu Sijiu had made. Not just congee; if there were other dishes, that would be even better. Thinking this, Song Jinzhi decided to go to the office today. Her body was fine now. The work piled up from her leave would still be hers to do tomorrow.
"Our busy bee, what have you been up to lately?" As soon as Song Jinzhi arrived at the office, Jing Yu's video call came in. Seeing the background behind her, Song Jinzhi could more or less guess she was at the airport, just back in the country. "Nothing much, same as always. And you? Just finished up?" Jing Yu worked for the Air Purification Department. Constant travel was a basic requirement of their profession. Strictly speaking, Jing Yu was much busier than she was.
"It's just been too long since we last saw each other. I was afraid you'd found a new love and forgotten this old flame. How about dinner tonight? I've also invited Teacher Wen. You two are quite familiar with each other now, let's get together." Jing Yu sounded like she was in a very good mood. Hearing this and thinking she had nothing planned for the evening, Song Jinzhi naturally agreed.
After work that evening, Song Jinzhi arrived at the restaurant Jing Yu had booked at the agreed time. When she got there, Wen Qiulan was already waiting inside. The two of them hadn't met alone since their first encounter. They were an unmarried Alpha and Omega; meeting privately alone was generally not ideal. Song Jinzhi occasionally discussed some good books with Wen Qiulan. Their most frequent topic was Omega and Alpha equal rights. In terms of philosophy, Song Jinzhi found that Wen Qiulan aligned with her on many points. As Jing Yu had said, Wen Qiulan was indeed an excellent Alpha.
"Teacher Wen, it's been a while." Song Jinzhi saw Wen Qiulan and sat down across from her with a smile. Wen Qiulan favored white, and today she wore an elegant, lightly made up look with a white dress, appearing utterly graceful. "It truly has been a while. If Xiaoyu hadn't arranged this today, I'm afraid this while would have stretched even longer." Wen Qiulan passed the hot tea on the table over to Song Jinzhi. Right at that moment, Jing Yu happened to walk in.
"Sorry, traffic was a bit heavy, I'm late. Have you two been waiting long?" Jing Yu's voice was clear and bright, always giving a sense of boundless energy. The moment she arrived, she gave both Song Jinzhi and Wen Qiulan a big hug. "I just got here too. Teacher Wen arrived earlier than me," Song Jinzhi said. She hadn't seen Jing Yu in a long time, and seeing her again lifted her spirits. She and Wen Qiulan were both of a quieter disposition, while Jing Yu was considerably more bubbly. With her at the table, the atmosphere would never be awkward.
"Teacher Wen, after dinner, would you like to go see an opera? I have a few tickets; they look quite good." Jing Yu asked. She felt it was still early after their meal, and since they rarely gathered together, disbanding too soon would be a bit dull. Hearing this, Wen Qiulan shook her head with some difficulty. She had recently taken on a student and had lessons every evening, so she naturally couldn't make it.
"Xiaoyu, I'm sorry. I have to teach my student a bit later; I'm afraid I can't go." Wen Qiulan glanced at the time as she spoke. Hearing about her lesson, Jing Yu was somewhat surprised. For a pianist of Wen Qiulan's stature, having students wasn't particularly unusual. But Jing Yu knew that Wen Qiulan had a detached nature and was usually very busy. For ten years, she had never taught any students. Why had she suddenly taken one on?
"Teacher Wen, why take on a student all of a sudden?" "It wasn't exactly sudden. I'd been planning to take on a student for a while. Lately, with no concert tours, I've had more free time, so I accepted one." Mentioning this, Wen Qiulan felt that taking on a student wasn't as difficult as she had imagined. Just then, the communicator on her wrist suddenly lit up. Wen Qiulan said a polite "excuse me" and looked down to read the incoming message.
"Teacher Wen, I'll be heading over soon. Do you need coffee? I'm at the cafe; shall I get you a cup?" The sender was none other than Wen Qiulan's student. Reading this, Wen Qiulan typed back a refusal, then felt that seemed too cold and added, "Drinking too much will keep you up at night. You should drink less too."
"Xiaoyu, A Jin, I need to leave first. We'll talk properly next time." After reading the message, Wen Qiulan decided to leave early. Watching her walk out with somewhat brisk steps, Jing Yu gave Song Jinzhi a gossipy wink. She couldn't help feeling that Teacher Wen's student seemed to share an unusual relationship with her.
Song Jinzhi didn't reciprocate the gossipy look. Her thoughts drifted home. She hadn't messaged Gu Sijiu before coming to dinner and had no idea if the woman would be cooking at home tonight. At this thought, Song Jinzhi couldn't help inwardly sneering at herself. She had just eaten her fill, yet here she was again thinking about Gu Sijiu's cooking. That was far too greedy.
Leaving the restaurant, Wen Qiulan drove directly to the piano studio. This place was originally where she practiced piano and composed music. Recently, having taken on a student, it served perfectly as a classroom. Although a classroom, the interior was quite comprehensively arranged, complete with a lounge and a kitchen. Wen Qiulan took off her shoes, placed the newly bought slippers at the entrance, and went to the room to change into a more comfortable white dress. She sat quietly before the piano, gently stroking the keys. Just then, the doorbell rang. Wen Qiulan went to open the door and saw her new student standing before her: Yi Wei.
Come to think of it, Wen Qiulan herself found it somewhat unbelievable that they would meet again. The accident that night had left an indelible mark on Wen Qiulan's mind, one that made her feel utterly awkward every time she recalled it. Some time ago, a friend mentioned that her relative wanted to learn piano. As Wen Qiulan happened to be considering taking on a student at the time, she agreed to meet. When she invited the person to the restaurant and saw Yi Wei's face, she was overcome with the urge to regret coming.
That version of Yi Wei, however, felt completely different from the one that night. She wore a clean, simple dress in moon yellow floral print, her long golden hair draped over her shoulders. Her entire demeanor was much quieter and more demure. Seeing her, Yi Wei was clearly just as startled, but she quickly composed herself, rose, and offered a polite bow.
"Teacher Wen, hello. My name is Yi Wei." This was the first time Yi Wei had introduced herself so formally. Before coming, Wen Qiulan had already learned that the prospective student was a female Omega. She just never imagined it would be Yi Wei. Wen Qiulan had already begun considering taking her leave right then, but since Yi Wei was her friend's relative and Wen Qiulan technically counted as half an elder to her, she couldn't leave so directly.
Wen Qiulan steeled herself and chatted with Yi Wei. It was ostensibly to gauge personality compatibility before confirming the lessons. If they weren't a good fit, she could use that as a reason to cancel. But once they truly started talking, Wen Qiulan discovered that Yi Wei's current demeanor was entirely different from the figure she'd encountered that night. Yi Wei was lively and talkative, yet her gestures were restrained and polite. Looking at her now, no one would ever imagine what she was like during her heat.
Realizing this, Wen Qiulan felt for the first time how terrifying an Omega's heat period truly was. It could actually transform a pure and well behaved Omega into such a frightening state. As the conversation progressed, Wen Qiulan found herself quite satisfied with Yi Wei and decided to overlook that not so pleasant experience from the night. They settled on the lesson schedule and fees, finalizing the arrangement.
"Teacher Wen, about what happened that night... I'm very sorry. You know, Omegas sometimes can't help themselves. I'm sorry, that wasn't the real me." At the dining table, Yi Wei brought up that night's incident, a flush of embarrassment rising on her face. Seeing her guilt and self reproach, Wen Qiulan quickly shook her head.
"Ms. Yi Wei, that was not your fault. I understand completely." Wen Qiulan spoke softly, clearly unable to bear Yi Wei's continued guilt. Hearing the reassurance, Yi Wei smiled, then seemed to remember something and asked with concern, "Teacher Wen, I don't remember what I did that night. I didn't hurt you, did I?" Yi Wei gazed at her with innocent eyes as she asked softly. Hearing this, Wen Qiulan recalled a certain spot that had been squeezed red and swollen when she returned home that night, and her face flushed thoroughly within the span of a few breaths.
"It's fine. Nothing happened at all..."
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