After Differentiation, My Arch-nemesis Thinks I’m Fragrant - Chapter 47

Six-fifty.

Shu Youzhan took off her headphones and sat at her desk. Glancing at the scene outside the window, she noticed the sky was just beginning to break dawn. She packed away her English textbook, stood up, and pulled a thin red sweater from the closet. After pulling it on, she walked out of the bedroom.

Taking a loop around the first floor, she failed to see any sign of Wei Shuangchi.

Shu Youzhan sat alone at the dining table and finished her breakfast. She raised a hand to cover her glass, signaling the housekeeper not to add more milk, and peered around the living room twice. She asked, “Did Mom not get up today?”

The housekeeper nodded.

Shu Youzhan simply assumed Wei Shuangchi wanted to rest. After finishing breakfast, she returned to her room to do two sets of mock exams to maintain her feel for the subjects. By the time she checked the clock, it was already noon. Estimating that Wei Shuangchi should be up by now, she headed downstairs again, but still saw no one.

“Is Mom sick?”

She muttered to herself, worried that something might have happened to Wei Shuangchi. Ignoring the housekeeper’s hesitant expression, she didn’t even touch her chopsticks. She hurried upstairs in a few strides toward the innermost bedroom. Looking at the tightly shut door, she took a few steps forward—

In the next instant…

A fierce surge of Alpha pheromones seeped through the crack of the door. Even from several meters away, it constructed a wall of aura, like a tiger descending from a mountain, baring its teeth unkindly at the intruder and lashing its tail in a warning that the area ahead was forbidden territory; no approach allowed.

Shu Youzhan’s footsteps braked sharply. Under the threat of that aura, she was unable to move forward even half a step.

At the same time, she realized something from this extraordinary warning. The physiological knowledge she had acquired after becoming an Omega finally surfaced in her mind. Shu Youzhan stood awkwardly for a few seconds, her ears turning red, before turning back to her own room.

Using studying to successfully shift her attention away from her parents’ affairs, Shu Youzhan completed several more test papers. Finally emerging from the sea of learning, she took her cup downstairs to get some water.

A rich scent of gardenia mixed with a woody pheromone fragrance drifted into her nose.

Shu Youzhan turned with her cup and saw a figure leaning lazily against the doorway at some point. The housekeeper stood nearby, handing her a thermal food container. The person radiated a powerful sense of aggression; she took the container and prepared to go upstairs.

At the last moment, as if remembering something, she looked back toward Shu Youzhan. Her phoenix-like eyes glinted with their habitual sharp light: “Training is canceled for the next two days. Figure things out for yourself.”

If it had been before, Shu Youzhan would have surely thought this was because Shu Yu was being too hard on Wei Shuangchi.

However, now that her common sense was supplemented, she did a quick calculation of when the last occurrence like this happened. She could easily deduce that this was likely her mother’s “special period,” rather than her mother being intentionally bullied.

As Omegas grow older, their heat cycles initially occur once a year, later slowing to once every two or three years.

Even so, according to records, an Omega still consumes a vast amount of physical strength during this period.

In contrast, during this time, while an Alpha meets the Omega’s needs, their tendencies toward possession and aggression reach a peak. It wasn’t that Shu Yu lacked the energy to beat her during this time, but rather that her emotions fluctuated unstably alongside Wei Shuangchi’s condition. She was worried she might lose her sense of proportion and accidentally hurt Shu Youzhan.

As this knowledge cycled through her mind, Shu Youzhan was still somewhat worried about Wei Shuangchi. She knew her mother’s health wasn’t great and that she had to be carefully looked after even on a planet with a pleasant climate like Blue Star. Her meals and sleep schedule needed to be regular. Facing such a massive physical drain now, it was hard not to want to show concern.

“Mother…”

But as the words left her mouth, she realized that as a junior, discussing Shu Yu’s life with Wei Shuangchi felt a bit like crossing a line. Consequently, the rest of her words wouldn’t come out.

Shu Yu arched an eyebrow. She could guess exactly why her face was filled with such internal conflict even without thinking. She took two steps up the stairs and glanced down at her, dropping a line: “I care about her more than you do, Shu Youzhan. Instead of worrying about your mother, you’d be better off worrying about yourself.”

“Is this why you’re so crazy today?”

The Zhao family…

It was still that underground training ground with its heavy metallic style.

Shu Youzhan was covered in sweat, looking as though she had just been fished out of water. Her breath was ragged, and her deep brown eyes were somewhat unable to focus, looking empty and dazed; only her chest continued to heave rhythmically.

Zhao Qinglan had been wearing a coat when she arrived, but it had long since been dropped on the ground nearby. She had casually rolled up her shirt sleeves.

However, after several rounds of fighting with Shu Youzhan, a thin layer of sweat also coated the beautiful lines of her forearms.

Hearing the voice, Shu Youzhan managed to steady her breathing slightly. Her voice floated out unsteadily as she responded: “What’s the use of being crazy… I was desperate enough, yet I still… I still didn’t manage to knock you down?”

A hint of a smile brewed in Zhao Qinglan’s eyes. She had to admit that Shu Youzhan’s performance just now had indeed exceeded her expectations: “I hadn’t planned on using my full strength, but you really caught me off guard. What remained was simply because I have the advantage of my constitution and rich combat experience.”

Shu Youzhan panted for a while longer while lying there.

Then…

She gathered one last burst of energy and raised her foot to kick Zhao Qinglan’s shin: “Don’t you know how to be humble when you hear someone praising you? By what miracle have you lived this long without being beaten to death?”

Zhao Qinglan maintained that same smiling expression. She now crouched down to look at her and asked, “No strength left?”

Shu Youzhan held her breath for a few seconds. She didn’t even have the energy to nod, so she let out a reluctant “mm” from her throat.

It was essentially an admission of defeat.

But Zhao Qinglan was not satisfied. She stared at her intently for a moment, then slowly reached out her hand, bracing it beside Shu Youzhan’s neck. She leaned her upper body down slowly, creating a peculiar sense of pressure.

Shu Youzhan’s eyes widened as she realized something was wrong. She raised a limp arm to block the other’s shoulder: “What are you doing?”

Zhao Qinglan pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth and smiled wantonly: “It’s obvious. I want to take advantage of you.”

“Imagine it: you, without even the strength to move, unable to run away, can only let me do as I please. Even if you’re kissed until you can’t breathe, you can only cry pitifully and, at most, hold me tight—”

Her words were cut short by another kick from Shu Youzhan.

Zhao Qinglan reached out and caught her ankle. Judging the force of the kick, she raised her eyebrows without the slightest surprise: “Still got some strength? Then why aren’t you getting up? Are you really waiting for me to kiss you?”

Shu Youzhan: “…”

She was wrong…

She thought Shu Yu was already enough of a devil.

Now that she had met this person, Zhao Qinglan, she truly understood what it meant to be inhuman.

Shu Youzhan’s strength had not yet recovered; it felt as if she were squeezing the last drop of energy from every cell in her body.

Ignoring whether her attacks were becoming sloppy, she exchanged dozens more moves with Zhao Qinglan. Finally, her legs simply couldn’t exert any more force. When her leg was swept, her knees buckled, and it looked as though she was about to fall straight down onto her knees—

A powerful arm caught her around the waist. However, Shu Youzhan had even calculated this step. Taking advantage of the other’s momentary soft-heartedness, she moved her body fluidly, using a close-combat technique to lock onto Zhao Qinglan’s neck.

The breaths of the two were extremely close.

Shu Youzhan’s breathing was so chaotic her lungs felt like they were going to explode, yet Zhao Qinglan only paused for a brief moment.

She said, “You win…”

Shu Youzhan’s trembling uncontrollably traveled to her arms. Almost the moment she declared the win, all of Shu Youzhan’s strength vanished. If Zhao Qinglan hadn’t been holding her tightly, she would have slammed face-first into the ground.

Like a dying fish blowing bubbles, she squeezed out a few words in a whisper: “Win, my ass. What kind of win is a clever trick… don’t give me that.”

Zhao Qinglan raised a hand to stroke her back, helping her catch her breath, and said unhurriedly: “In war, there is no such thing as too much deception. There is no distinction between ‘clever’ or ‘not clever’ moves. As long as you prescribe the right medicine for the situation and it works, it’s good.”

Shu Youzhan stayed in her arms for a while.

After a good while, she looked up and asked her, “Just now, you…”

Zhao Qinglan couldn’t stand the way she tried to speak when she couldn’t even catch her breath, so she leisurely took over the topic: “I wasn’t trying to scare you. If you had really been lazy and didn’t move, I would have kissed you just like I said—

After all, Alphas aren’t anything good; we never do good deeds without expecting a return. I warned you.”

Shu Youzhan: “…”

She now felt that the Zhao Qinglan who had just returned and reunited with her a few days ago might have been some “one-day limited edition.”

This dog-like behavior now was her true face.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that she truly didn’t have a shred of strength left. Even if Zhao Qinglan were to do “this and that” to her on the spot, she probably wouldn’t even have the energy to cry.

At that thought, Shu Youzhan’s face turned a bit pale.

Tap…

There was a slight pain on her forehead. She maintained her upward-looking posture as she watched Zhao Qinglan withdraw the hand that had just flicked her forehead. Zhao Qinglan asked somewhat powerlessly, “Although I’m really not anything good, I’m not as much of a beast as you think, okay?

“That last move just now was very much to my liking. Let’s go; I’ll take you to eat something good.”

Shu Youzhan shifted her eyes, glancing down to indicate her legs, which were no longer following orders.

Zhao Qinglan pursed her lips and smiled. She leaned down slightly in front of her and, just like before, took her onto her back.

Shu Youzhan relaxed, resting her chin on the other’s shoulder, quite comfortably treating her as her own vehicle.

Carrying her out of the training room, Zhao Qinglan asked slowly, “It’s your birthday in a few days, isn’t it?”

“Mm…”

Unexpectedly, Zhao Qinglan didn’t follow up on that topic. Instead, she brought up something else: “The Imperial Military Academy’s early admission eligibility review should be starting soon, right?”

This time, Shu Youzhan’s response was a bit slower.

“How about considering letting me be your sparring partner starting from tomorrow?”

“Huh?”

“It’s free. I’ll do my best to get you through the eligibility review. Think of it as this year’s birthday gift.”

Shu Youzhan was quiet for a few seconds.

She asked into the other’s ear, almost like a puff of air: “Zhao Qinglan, are you about to die of poverty?”

Without looking back, Zhao Qinglan replied with a smile: “Why? You don’t like me giving myself to you?”

Shu Youzhan snorted in derision.

“Who exactly is giving who to whom?”

According to Zhao Qinglan’s behavior today—both testing her skills and taking every opportunity to snatch a bit of an advantage—Shu Youzhan wasn’t quite sure if, after truly agreeing, she would end up with “no bones left” at the Zhao house one day in the future.

Zhao Qinglan was very composed even after her intentions were seen through: “In this year’s Imperial Military Academy reserves, no one can match you in close combat if you can maintain a 1:9 win-loss ratio against me—

“And you have excellent shooting scores.

“Your endurance improvement is also far above the standard line.

“With S-rank in three physical categories plus being first in cultural classes, what reason does the Imperial Military Academy have to reject you?”

Shu Youzhan: “…”

She found herself, shamefully, tempted.