After Marrying the Cold Omega in Secret - Chapter 18

Chu Jin was caught off guard as she accepted the fruit. She stared at the apple slice in her hand, feeling suspicious. For Chi Ye to offer something so willingly, she could not help but wonder if Chi Ye had poisoned it while she was not looking.

Otherwise, why be so unusually kind for no reason?

Chi Ye noticed her hesitation and the way she kept eyeing the apple. Whatever softness had been on her face moments ago vanished completely, replaced by her usual cold expression.

“It’s not poisoned.”

Having her thoughts so accurately guessed, Chu Jin gave a sheepish laugh.

“I was just reluctant to eat it.”

With that, she popped the apple into her mouth.

Surprisingly, the ridiculously expensive apple was actually sweet and tasty.

At that moment, Chen Mo and Xin Ning returned from washing the dishes. Chu Jin called them over to eat some fruit.

Xin Ning picked up a piece of apple, while Chen Mo simply waved her hand and declined.

“She doesn’t eat fruit,” Xin Ning explained with a grin. “I’ll eat her share.”

Chen Mo said nothing. She grabbed her sketchpad and headed back outside to the courtyard to continue drawing. Xin Ning sat down next to Chu Jin.

As soon as she sat down, she grabbed Chu Jin by the arm and pulled her slightly to the side. After putting some space between them and Chi Ye, she leaned in and whispered.

“Sis, is Wen Zhixue your love rival?”

Chu Jin gave her a puzzled look.

Based on her current identity, she was technically a love rival to Yan Sisi, though that was only because of the secret marriage contract. But what did Wen Zhixue have to do with anything?

Was it just because Wen Zhixue had been following Chi Ye around all day? Constantly gazing at her with affectionate eyes? And even offering her scar removal cream?

Xin Ning looked like she had already seen through everything. Confidently, she began her analysis.

“You’re one of those omegas pretending to be an alpha. You and Wen Zhixue are the same type. And Chi Ye is the ideal alpha you’re both fighting for.”

Chu Jin was speechless.

She might have accepted being called a love rival, but now she was being mistaken for an omega?

She was a real, one hundred percent genuine alpha.

“Am I right?” Xin Ning continued to blink at her eagerly, nudging her with her elbow.

By now, Chu Jin had fallen into doubt. Did she really come across as an omega?

Unable to take the questioning anymore, Chu Jin finally blurted out four words.

“Completely, absolutely wrong.”

“What?” Xin Ning stared at her in disbelief.

Her voice was a little too loud and caught the attention of the others.

Zhou Meng looked over curiously. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, nothing. I just ate too much and feel a bit bloated,” Xin Ning quickly said with a laugh, rubbing her stomach in an exaggerated way. “I’m going to walk around outside for a bit.”

Before leaving, she gave Chu Jin a knowing smile full of hidden meaning.

Chu Jin sighed.

Just as she was about to catch her breath, another wave of trouble arrived. This time, it was from Chi Ye, who suddenly spoke beside her.

“I want some grapes.”

Chi Ye’s voice was soft and low, just loud enough for the two of them to hear.

Chu Jin noticed Chi Ye looking directly at her, and only then realized the request was directed at her. She was about to stand and get the grapes when she remembered how Wen Zhixue had just offered to help earlier. She raised an eyebrow and replied lightly.

“Didn’t someone else offer to get them for you?”

Chi Ye’s expression was unreadable. Her voice was calm but firm.

“I want you to do it.”

Perhaps because they were a little more familiar now, Chu Jin had started to joke back or tease her occasionally. Chi Ye seemed willing to tolerate it, but only within limits.

This moment, however, felt like one of those boundaries. If she continued pushing, the result might not be so simple.

For example, she could be fined two million yuan.

So Chu Jin obediently put down her phone and reached for a grape. Just as she was about to hand it to Chi Ye, she remembered that Chi Ye’s hand was injured and she could not peel it herself.

Since Chi Ye had already asked her to get the grapes, there was no getting out of it now.

Chu Jin glanced around the room. The camera had shifted to the courtyard where Chen Mo was painting. Relieved, she silently prayed the livestream would not cut back to the living room anytime soon, then began to gently peel the grape.

If she remembered correctly, these grapes were expensive. But they were worth the price. Each one was full and glossy, glistening under the light like a polished gem.

The skin peeled off easily. In just a few seconds, she held a piece of perfectly smooth, deep purple fruit between her fingers.

She held the grape up by its skin and brought it toward Chi Ye’s lips.

“Please enjoy,” she said softly, her tone playful and lingering, “my dear President Chi.”

Chi Ye lowered her eyes slightly, then leaned forward. Her lips brushed against Chu Jin’s fingers as she gently took the grape into her mouth. As she bit into it, a drop of juice slid down Chu Jin’s fingertip, warm and sticky.

Chu Jin stared at the juice, dazed. Before she could react, Chi Ye had already taken a tissue and handed it to her.

“Sorry,” Chi Ye said.

But what Chu Jin feared most had still happened. That exact moment had been broadcast into the livestream.

Viewers flooded the chat.

“What are they doing? Wiping hands?”

“I request a channel just for this couple!”

“I feel like I missed a whole storyline!”

“My favorite couple is secretly dating behind our backs, I knew it!”

That afternoon, everyone was busy with their own work online. Chu Jin, feeling bored, picked up her phone and checked the livestream.

As expected, the popularity of her and Chi Ye’s duo had skyrocketed.

They were now in a clear lead, far ahead of any other group.

She flipped through the screenshots that viewers had captured from the livestream. Thankfully, it only showed the moment when Chi Ye handed her a tissue. If they had caught the scene of her feeding Chi Ye a grape, the fans of their couple pairing would probably have gone completely wild.

She kept scrolling back and soon came across the image of her bandaging Chi Ye’s hand, followed by the scene where she carried her upstairs.

She stared at those images for a while. No matter how she looked at them, she still felt that she looked more like the alpha than Chi Ye.

Xin Ning really talked nonsense all day long.

However, under those images, a few viewers had left some harsh comments.

“Chi Ye doesn’t even like Chu Jin. She never responds to her.”

“Chu Jin looks like a total simp.”

“It’s all one-sided. Only Chu Jin seems interested.”

“Chi Ye shines perfectly on her own. She doesn’t need anyone.”

Chu Jin let out a soft scoff.

A simp? Had they ever seen a simp with a monthly salary of two million yuan and a contract bonus of one billion yuan? If they had the same opportunity, they would probably fight each other for it. They might even act more desperate than she ever had.

Even so, her fingers moved automatically, tapping the thumbs-down button on every one of those rude comments.

By early evening, the golden glow of sunset poured through the tall windows, filling the room with warmth. The production team had already prepared the ingredients for dinner.

After spending two days together, everyone had become more familiar with one another. Tonight, they were having hot pot, which was perfect for strengthening connections.

“Does anyone want a drink?” Xin Ning suddenly asked. She remembered how she used to enjoy beer with hot pot when going out with her roommates. “Hot pot with beer is the perfect combo. I highly recommend it.”

“Sounds good,” Wen Zhixue answered right away.

In Chu Jin’s mind, Wen Zhixue always said that no matter the topic.

Zhou Meng seemed hesitant at first but then suggested another option.

“What about white wine? It pairs well with hot pot and helps cleanse the palate. It’s refreshing.”

As expected, Wen Zhixue was the first to respond again.

“That works too. White wine is a good choice.”

The others quickly agreed. Although Xin Ning looked slightly disappointed, she forced a smile and nodded.

“Alright. I’m fine with that.”

Chen Mo noticed the subtle change in her expression and added a quiet explanation.

“Pairing beer with hot pot too often can irritate the stomach lining. It’s not good for your health in the long run.”

The moment Chen Mo spoke, Xin Ning’s eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly.

“You’re right. My stomach hasn’t been great lately. I really shouldn’t drink beer with hot pot anymore.”

The crew left to buy the white wine while everyone else started cooking and getting settled at the table.

Chu Jin loved hot pot, but she usually avoided it because she worried it would cause breakouts or affect her health during work. Still, since this was part of her job and they were on camera, she figured she might as well enjoy it.

Before the meal began, she went to the restroom. When she returned, the only seat left was at the far end of the table. She sat down next to Xin Ning, directly across from Chi Ye and Wen Zhixue.

That arrangement was fine. At least it might help lower the attention on the “reserved couple” that everyone had been obsessing over online.

Although she tried to stay focused on eating, her eyes kept drifting across the table. During the meal, she counted that Wen Zhixue had initiated conversation with Chi Ye five times, and Chi Ye had replied only twice.

They were speaking softly, so Chu Jin could not hear what they were saying.

The growing discomfort in her chest made her silently pour herself another glass of wine.

“You hold your liquor well,” Xin Ning said, noticing how much she had already drunk.

Chu Jin replied with a calm expression.

“I haven’t had a drink in a while. This wine tastes good.”

Xin Ning looked at her, then glanced at Chi Ye and Wen Zhixue on the other side of the table. Although Chu Jin had already denied it earlier, Xin Ning still believed in her own theory. To her, this was clearly a case of two omegas fighting over one excellent alpha.

She lifted her napkin and pretended to wipe her mouth. In a low voice, she leaned over and asked quietly,

“Are you jealous?”

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