After Mistakenly Marking My Ex’s Older Sister, the Disabled Alpha Stood Up - Chapter 41

In the circles of Atlantis’s elite, gossip spread like spring weeds after rain.

Word had it that Yan Qingruo—the number one beauty of Yacheng and the Secretary-General’s wife—had left her wife and gone abroad to “recuperate.”

Speculation ran wild: perhaps the couple had quarreled over children.

Some even whispered that the Secretary-General’s wife was infertile and had gone overseas for treatment. After all, everyone knew Yan Qingruo was a beta—naturally disadvantaged compared to omegas when it came to bearing children.

Rumors grew more and more outrageous, until finally they transformed into claims that the couple had divorced and Secretary-General Jin was once again single.

The calm lake surface had been struck by a stone, waves crashing in every direction!

Those who had long harbored secret desire for Jin Yunxi but had restrained themselves because of her marriage—omegas and betas alike, men and women both—were suddenly like sharks scenting blood, stirring restlessly.

Even when Jin Yunxi had been disabled, they couldn’t help but be drawn to her. Now that she had fully recovered—her looks, her family background, her rank and power all unmatched—she was dazzling beyond compare.

Jin Yunxi, however, found it all tiresome. To her, these buzzing flies could be waved away with a flick of her hand. But in this tidal wave of pursuers, one person gave her a true headache: the Queen herself, lofty and all-powerful.

Power was the most intoxicating “aphrodisiac” in the world.

Once someone stood at the peak, with the world seemingly within their grasp, desire only grew—coveting even what was not theirs, even what had once rejected them.

Such was Lin Ruxi.

She was a queen, basking in supreme authority and splendor. Yet Jin Yunxi—the woman who had once refused her without hesitation—was a thorn lodged deep in her heart. The more she couldn’t have her, the more she burned with wanting.
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To find Yan Qingruo, Jin Yunxi had mobilized the full resources of the Secretary-General’s office—even the influence of the palace. Such a commotion could hardly escape notice. Naturally, it reached Lin Ruxi’s ears.

The moment she learned that Yan Qingruo had left, the long-dormant flame in her chest reignited, sparking anew the thought of pursuit.

She wasted no time. Under the pretense of official business, she summoned Jin Yunxi to the palace.

“Jin Yunxi, come here,” Lin Ruxi called, her voice carrying a deliberate composure.

Her tone, like her carefully chosen dress today, was finely crafted. She spoke Jin Yunxi’s full name with more reverence than she had ever shown when greeting foreign heads of state or delivering her own royal addresses.

As the words left her lips, she startled herself—her heart hammering wildly in her chest. Just seeing Jin Yunxi stirred in her a long-lost mix of anticipation and delight, like the sweetness of first love, tinged with nervous trepidation.

When had she, Queen Lin Ruxi, ever acted like a lovestruck girl?

Since ascending the throne, she had carried the weight of her nation’s fate and her people’s livelihood. For years she had been wrapped in cold dignity, forced even to disguise herself as an alpha.

To feel this fluttering, girlish excitement—it was at once foreign and intoxicating.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Jin Yunxi’s phoenix eyes tilted upward slightly, dark and pure as ink. She walked toward the Queen with steady, assured steps, her recovered body tall and graceful, gaze clear and unwavering.

It reminded Lin Ruxi of the deepest midnight sky. As long as Yan Qingruo was absent, then surely she, Lin Ruxi, should be reflected in those eyes.

Greed rose within her. How she wished those eyes, so tender yet so cold, would look at no one else but her.

On the gilded throne, clad in resplendent robes, the Queen radiated power. Her gaze burned, fixed on Jin Yunxi’s strong, now fully healed figure—long-limbed, straight-backed, no longer fragile but matured into breathtaking allure.

Her cheeks flushed faintly. She recalled her preference for being on top—yet no matter who the female alphas beneath her were, it was always Jin Yunxi’s face she imagined.

If only the one under her had truly been Jin Yunxi. Time and again, she had fantasized: at the very peak of pleasure, it was Jin Yunxi’s face she envisioned, the thought alone sending her higher.

With others, she always took precautions. None of them were worthy of more.

But if it was Jin Yunxi, then no precautions at all—she wanted everything.

The thought alone set her ears burning, her body aching with restless heat.

Yan Qingruo’s departure felt like a stroke of fortune, a joy greater than any diplomatic victory.

Jin Yunxi caught the Queen’s flushed cheeks, the way she stared so intently. Her own heart lurched.

And sure enough—

“Since Yan Qingruo has left you, why not consider another omega?” Lin Ruxi asked gently, though the implication was clear.

Jin Yunxi met her gaze calmly, her tone steady: “Your Majesty, I don’t like other omegas. And as you know—I am… indifferent by nature.”

The Queen bristled at her obstinacy. Sweeping forward in her trailing gown, she cornered Jin Yunxi: “If you’re truly indifferent, then tell me—how did you cure Yan Qingruo when she was poisoned by the passion mist?”

Jin Yunxi’s eyes stayed unwavering. “Indifference does not preclude comfort.”

Lin Ruxi’s breath caught. She lifted a finger, tilting Jin Yunxi’s chin upward. Her chest tightened. “Jin Yunxi, you had better not be lying to me.”

A faint frown crossed Jin Yunxi’s brow as she turned away, avoiding the touch. “I’ve answered all Your Majesty’s questions. If you’re unwilling to help, then I’ll take my leave and not trouble you further.”

The Queen’s lips curled into a self-mocking smile. This alpha—if not for her crown, would Jin Yunxi even spare her a glance?

She knew she was leveraging her authority to force Jin Yunxi closer. But what else did she have, if not power?

That Yan Qingruo—who had nothing—yet had Jin Yunxi’s love… How it made her seethe with envy.

Jealousy chilled her heart. Her voice slipped, tinged with bitterness: “I’ll help you—but you’ll spend one night with me.”

Her breath brushed against Jin Yunxi’s ear. “Seven times in one night. That’s the standard.”

Jin Yunxi’s face tightened, brows knitting deeper. The words slipped out before she could stop herself: “Absurd.”

The moment it left her lips, she realized her misstep.

Lin Ruxi’s eyes narrowed. She knew Jin Yunxi would once again retreat behind her excuse of “indifference.” She gave a sharp laugh. A normal alpha longed to be praised for their prowess. One of her A-class consorts would wag his tail like a pleased puppy for weeks if she so much as complimented him once.

But here was an alpha declaring herself incapable.

“So no good? Then let me be the one to take you seven times.”

“Your Majesty, please stop speaking this way.” Jin Yunxi stepped back quickly.

But Lin Ruxi rose, reached out, and drew her forward. Her crimson-painted nails trailed a suggestive path along the sensitive gland at the back of Jin Yunxi’s neck. Jin Yunxi stiffened, trying to pull away, but the Queen pressed her down onto the throne.

Then, with audacious ease, Lin Ruxi straddled her lap, arms winding around her neck.

“As long as you agree, I’ll share half the throne with you.”

“No.”

The Queen arched a brow, whispering hotly against her ear: “Then don’t you want to find Yan Qingruo? With just a flick of my fingers, she’ll have nowhere to hide. She may even be in danger.”

Yet no matter how she tempted, Jin Yunxi remained unmoved. Her glands stayed utterly dormant.

A rare frustration surged in Lin Ruxi.

Her hand slid upward, brushing against Jin Yunxi’s lips, her voice husky: “Just one kiss. That’s not so hard, is it?”

The alpha’s lips were soft pink, dewy as though kissed with gloss, like a piece of translucent jelly.

Jin Yunxi jolted upright, eyes resolute, voice unwavering: “Forgive me, but for me, it is.”

Whether Yan Qingruo returned or not, she would remain faithful. If there was even a chance to win her back, and Qingruo knew she had kissed another woman, she would be furious.

Even now, with Qingruo absent, she refused to indulge in anyone else.

To imagine Yan Qingruo in private was already her utmost limit. Jin Yunxi was a perfectionist, her own strictest judge.

Rage flared in the Queen’s eyes. “Are you truly so obsessed with that beta woman?”

Jin Yunxi met her gaze without hesitation. “She is my wife. Until our marriage ends, my loyalty is hers alone. And… I have my principles.”

Her words struck like a whip. Anger twisted across Lin Ruxi’s face. She pressed forward. “So you believe those rumors about my debauched private life?”

In truth, she had only ever kept a single consort. The alpha disguise had worn on her; half the reason for that liaison was simply to manage her omega heat. She had never even allowed that person to mark her.

The one who could mark her, the one who could bear children with her—Lin Ruxi had always hoped it would be Jin Yunxi.

Long before Jin Yunxi became the Secretary-General’s chosen protégé, even back when she was still disabled, Lin Ruxi had already set her sights on her. She suppressed her own desires, watched her marry someone else, endured her rejection, and still bestowed upon her unparalleled authority.

All the affection Lin Ruxi could give, she gave to Jin Yunxi—so much so that it stirred jealousy among her ministers.

Yet, Jin Yunxi despised her, calling her private life debauched. Rage flared in Lin Ruxi’s chest, her long nails biting into her palms.

Jin Yunxi said nothing.

Lin Ruxi gave a cold laugh. “You pride yourself on your purity. But if she takes another lover abroad, shares another’s bed, even bears another’s child—would you still accept her?”

At that, Jin Yunxi’s fists clenched so tight her knuckles whitened, all color draining from her face.

Lin Ruxi saw and immediately seized upon the truth. “So, you not only comforted her—you’ve shared a bed with her. That’s why you can’t bear the thought of her with anyone else, isn’t it?”

She knew Yan Qingruo was Jin Yunxi’s wife, and anything between them was understandable. But to Lin Ruxi, Jin Yunxi was like an exquisite cake—one she had never tasted, now delivered straight into another woman’s mouth.

Jin Yunxi wouldn’t even spare her a glance, wouldn’t give her the smallest kiss. For once, Lin Ruxi tasted defeat.

Jin Yunxi tugged at her lips, but in her mind all she could see was Yan Qingruo abandoning her, in the arms of someone else. The image alone was enough to suffocate her.

“Jin Yunxi,” Lin Ruxi pressed, “is she really worth all this devotion?”

A neglected daughter of the Yan family, not even related by blood. An ordinary Beta with a pretty face, nothing more. Even her title as Yalan TV’s golden host meant little in Lin Ruxi’s eyes—no different from the masses.

But Jin Yunxi’s voice was firm. “Your Majesty, I love Yan Qingruo. She is exceptional. She’s worth it.”

Not only had Yan Qingruo, by a twist of fate, helped her recover from disability, she had also let her taste the sweetness of human love.

It was a feeling Jin Yunxi had only ever known once before—when she first met Yan Qingmei by the Rhine while blind. But with Yan Qingruo, that warmth was reborn, richer and more consuming, like stepping into springtime itself.

When Qingruo lost her memory, her eyes held only Yunxi. That tender devotion was like a hand pulling Yunxi back from the cold solitude of a monk’s life, from lamps and mist, from bone-deep loneliness. Yan Qingruo had given her warmth—blood, bone, soul.

The fondness she once had for Yan Qingmei paled into nothingness beside it.

After a long silence, the Queen let out a distant sigh. “Very well.”

“You may use the resources of the palace and the Secretary-General’s office to search for Yan Qingruo.”

“But—first, you must not lie to me. You will be held accountable for every word you’ve spoken today.”

“Second, you must agree to one condition.”

“What condition?” Jin Yunxi asked, wary. Anything that broke her principles, she would never accept.

The Queen’s lips curved in interest. “You’ll agree.”

So long as it did not break Yunxi’s principles—as long as she was truthful and willing to take responsibility—the Queen was certain she would not refuse.

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The moment Jin Yunxi stepped into her home, she rushed straight into the bathroom. She twisted the shower handle, letting scalding water crash down. The place where Lin Ruxi’s fingers had brushed against her gland now crawled with phantom ants, leaving her skin crawling.

No matter how hard she scrubbed, she could still feel that touch lingering on the back of her neck.

Her hand reached up, nails raking at the skin around her gland with near self-punishing force.

She could still feel the ghost of Lin Ruxi’s red-polished nails scraping against her skin. She rubbed harder, until the flesh grew raw and flushed, as if only pain could erase that hated memory.

Black hair, drenched with water, clung to her cheeks and shoulders. Droplets slid down her strands like falling beads.

Eyes closed, Jin Yunxi thought of Yan Qingruo. Face burning, she soothed herself, craving only Qingruo’s kiss—the gentle press of her lips erasing the traces of another woman’s touch, overwriting them with her own.

She wanted to kiss Qingruo, wanted her to touch her in the place that remained unshaken before every Omega—even the Queen. Just thinking of Qingruo there was enough to shamefully arouse her.

Her mind flashed back to the intelligence officer’s words: as long as Yan Qingruo responded to even one message, no matter how brief, Yunxi could lock onto her location, cross oceans, mountains, and borders to bring her home.

But… how to make her reply?

After a long time, she stilled her hand. Water pattered down with a sound like muffled rain.

She bathed again, until her whole body was as pink as her flushed face.

The peach-scented body wash she had bought—when Qingruo was lost in passion, her night-blooming jasmine pheromones would shift into this very peachy sweetness.

Now, her whole body smelled of it.

It felt almost as if she had really been with Qingruo.

Her cheeks reddened at the thought. If only it was true. She missed Qingruo—her scent, her warmth, her everything. Wrapped in that fragrance, it was as if Qingruo were holding her again.

She sat at the edge of her bed, towel draped around her shoulders, and picked up her phone. Slim fingers tapped out her nightly confessions.

Her lips pressed tight. Since she’d already been so direct when drunk last time, what harm was there in being even more shameless now?

In front of Yan Qingruo, she was never herself. She had long grown used to it, helpless in her honesty, ashamed in her yearning—

First message:

Ruoruo, I want to kiss you. I want to kiss every inch of your skin. I want you to kiss me too…

Her cheeks glowed as she hit send. She wiped her damp hair, tugged the towel over the reddened skin around her gland.

Then, like a drenched puppy, she sent a second message, pitifully complaining—

Second message:

Ruoruo, those Omegas are so annoying. Like flies I can’t swat away, always circling me.

She bit her lip, wondering how to make Qingruo care more.

An idea struck. She opened her camera, angled it carefully in the mirror, and snapped a photo.

Alpha’s confession, laid bare with longing and frustration.

Third message:

Ruoruo, please come back. I want this place… all of me… to be covered with your scent again.

The text went out with the attached photo.

Her brows arched with expectation, fingers absently twisting a coarse bath towel. Please, let this work.

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In the conference room, soft light fell across the participants. Yan Qingruo sat gracefully at the head of the table, her expression as cold and unyielding as snow atop a mountain peak, eyes fixed on the project presentation flashing across the screen.

This was the company she had co-founded with Shu Xiyue years ago. Now, with the professional manager gone, she herself had taken a formal seat on the board.

The project lead spoke passionately, though his eyes kept darting nervously toward her. Director Yan was notorious for her severity.

Then—ding, ding, ding. The sharp chime of incoming texts cut through the quiet.

A faint hesitation flickered across Qingruo’s eyes. She reached for the foldable phone on the table, her slender fingers like carved jade.

The moment she unlocked it and saw the messages, her composure shattered.

Her brows knitted, her gaze flashed cold as if a boulder had just crashed into still waters.

The project lead’s heart skipped a beat. What had gone wrong?

“Is everything all right?” Shu Xiyue asked softly.

“It’s nothing. Please continue, Director Li,” Qingruo replied coolly, though her expression grew colder still.

Her fingers curled tight against the phone, pressing so hard her knuckles blanched.

Director Li exhaled in relief and resumed. Until—

Crack!

Qingruo’s foldable phone slipped from her grasp, hitting the ground and splitting clean in two, screen cracked deep across its length.

For the briefest instant, the display flashed—a photo of an Alpha’s reddened gland, marked with the raw scratches left by another’s touch, as if she had been driven into heat. Then the screen went black.

Director Li’s vision swam. Had his report really been that bad?