Distance Formula - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“How are you feeling today?”

Bai Biqing was wearing a burgundy satin pajama set, the thin belt around her waist loosely tied, subtly revealing one shoulder. She casually picked up the drawing from the floor, rubbing the signature “Baishi” in the bottom right corner, and smiled silently: “I’ve met someone who can smell my pheromones.”

The person on the other end of the line froze for a few seconds before excitedly gasping and asking who it was. Bai Biqing maintained a light smile, leaning against her desk, her finger doodling idly on the surface.

“Su Shang,” Bai Biqing spoke. “I kept my promise to you, and it feels quite good.”

Su Shang was her childhood friend and knew Bai Biqing’s physical condition inside and out. Su Shang had successfully entered the entertainment industry, producing several hit variety shows. The meeting with Su Yanshi was her way of returning a favor to Li Zhuonan for emergency assistance.

“Huh? Why are you bringing that up? Tell me who it is first—” Su Shang suddenly paused, remembering the only place Bai Biqing had been that evening. She immediately figured it out and let out an incredulous, suppressed expletive.

She lowered her voice and asked: “Was it Su Yanshi?”

Bai Biqing gave an ambiguous snicker: “Just happened to catch her during her rut. I lent a hand.”

She sat fully on the desk, propping herself up with one hand: “The Alpha’s bite hurt quite a bit. I plan to go to the hospital tomorrow to check if she’s the person I’ve been looking for.”

Su Shang was speechless for a while, finally managing to squeeze out a dry comment: “You’re incredible. You have gland development but no actual gland, yet you can just laugh off a raw bite.”

Everyone is born with a gland before differentiation, but after the secondary gender emerges, a Beta’s gland completely regresses. Bai Biqing had only developed an invisible pheromone; there was literally nothing on the back of her neck.

Bai Biqing was unconcerned: “It’s just an extra wound. How else was I supposed to check? Should I have dragged her to the hospital and told her the reason? Besides, I can’t be marked. At most, I’ll smell a bit like an Alpha, which will dissipate by tomorrow.”

She had always been indifferent to these matters, even thinking the Beta identity brought many conveniences. Being unable to be marked meant she couldn’t be controlled.

Hearing this, Su Shang had nothing more to say, only offering a concerned warning: “Handle it yourself, but come to me if you have any problems. Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of.”

Bai Biqing agreed: “Okay.”

She glanced at the time; it was almost eleven: “Alright, it’s late. You go rest. I still have to wait for my tenant. Who knows how long that will take.”

Su Shang hissed: “They haven’t shown up yet? What’s wrong with them?”

“Who knows? I’ve got nothing else to do anyway. I’ll just raise the rent later. Gotta go, I’ll find you tomorrow.”

Bai Biqing tossed her phone onto the bed, pulled out a medical kit, and found an old pheromone patch she’d bought long ago. She checked the date; it would expire in two weeks. She’d only bought it initially because she thought it was pretty.

The patches came in many designs. She found one with a puppy on it and stuck it on. It was only when she looked in the mirror that she truly realized how badly the Alpha had bitten her. The area around the wound was red, and the tooth marks were distinctly bruised, looking quite alarming at first glance.

Afterward, she stood by the window, quietly waiting for her tenant to appear.

She raised an eyebrow only when an unfamiliar car pulled up downstairs, speculating whether it might be her bothersome cash cow.

Downstairs, Li Zhuonan finished registering the car’s pheromones and drove toward the underground garage. He felt a little breathless. As an Alpha himself, being suppressed by another high-ranking Alpha was deeply uncomfortable.

Su Yanshi also noticed Li Zhuonan’s discomfort. Bai Biqing had indeed eased her symptoms, but her rut hadn’t passed. After the single-person follow-up interview, her pheromones were already leaking out of control, though thankfully she hadn’t completely lost her mind.

“Brother, why don’t you leave first? I can go up by myself. I won’t be able to work for the next few days anyway.” Su Yanshi gave a bitter smile, apologizing.

Her rut came on fiercely and lasted a long time—four or five days were common—always resulting in a significant backlog of work.

Li Zhuonan chuckled heartily. He said broadly: “I’ll feel better once I see you settled. Don’t worry too much. It’s just a rut; everyone understands.”

Her previous address was leaked a while ago, and the constant harassment made it impossible for Su Yanshi to live there. Li Zhuonan inquired around and found out about this rental property. It was sparsely populated, security was good, but the rent was expensive.

However, once they found a better place, they wouldn’t stay here long.

Li Zhuonan parked the car steadily and glanced behind him. With his Alpha intuition, he could sense Su Yanshi’s irritability due to her rut, but a closer look suggested something more.

He asked: “What’s wrong? Why do you look so bad? Are you in a lot of pain?”

Su Yanshi shook her head. Part of it was her own condition, but more so after hearing Li Zhuonan’s casual remark: “Bai Biqing has a very good background. Supporting you shouldn’t be an issue. You performed well today; I think she’s in a good mood.”

She tilted her head up in distress, covering half her face with her hand. She had thoroughly offended the woman at their first meeting and still hadn’t fully recovered from the aftermath. She wondered about the wound and hoped this “sugar mommy” wouldn’t hold a grudge.

If Li Zhuonan knew, he would probably explode on the spot.

Su Yanshi thought about going to apologize soon. Her voice was muffled: “Let’s go, Brother. I need a suppressant booster.”

The apartment was on the seventh floor. Su Yanshi didn’t trouble Li Zhuonan with the luggage. She carried two suitcases herself, trudging ahead. The two were still chatting as they exited the elevator.

Bai Biqing had been waiting at the door since receiving the tenant’s message. The moment the elevator door opened, she straightened up. Before she could see them, she heard a familiar voice: “Brother, I can do it myself!”

She softly whispered “oh,” a mischievous smile playing in her eyes.

Su Yanshi.

Her skin was fair, and the burgundy robe made her even more striking. Su Yanshi was still fumbling with her luggage when she heard Li Zhuonan gasp: “Artist Bai Biqing!”

Su Yanshi’s legs trembled, nearly making her lose balance. She looked up in minor horror, her eyes meeting Bai Biqing’s teasing gaze dead-on.

Her breath hitched. She felt like the world was incredibly small today.

The “sugar mommy” was probably going to end her before midnight.

Bai Biqing tilted her head. Her mood instantly improved when she accurately registered Su Yanshi’s emotions. She shook the key card in her hand: “Are you the new tenants?”

Li Zhuonan didn’t notice the subtle exchange between the two. He rubbed his hands happily: “Yes, that’s us! I had no idea you were our landlady, Artist Bai Biqing. I didn’t mention Su Yanshi during the negotiations because I was worried about leaks. Please forgive the casual excuse.”

Bai Biqing’s gaze was still fixed on Su Yanshi: “Not at all, I understand. Since you’re here, I’ll mention one small requirement.”

Li Zhuonan pulled Su Yanshi over and nudged her with his elbow, the meaning obvious.

“Hello, Artist,” Su Yanshi said, completely avoiding Bai Biqing’s eyes. She felt a knot of anxiety rising in her chest, and her pheromones seemed to be leaking uncontrollably.

Bai Biqing is so pale.

The Alpha’s mind was on the verge of being completely taken over by this thought.

“Since we know each other, we’re friends. Why don’t I introduce myself? I’m Bai Biqing: Bai as in cypress, Bi as in certain, and Qing as in clear.”

Bai Biqing took two steps forward, casually shifting her gaze: “It’s nothing major. Just contact me if there are any housing issues—I’m usually around. And please don’t let too many people into the apartment. I have a bit of a psychological cleanliness complex, or I might get upset.”

Li Zhuonan nodded vigorously like a pecking chick, readily agreeing: “No problem at all, Artist Bai. Rest assured, my Yanshi is relatively obedient.”

The lighting in the hallway wasn’t bright. Hearing this, Bai Biqing looked over. The Alpha was staring down, lost in thought. The shadow cast on her side profile made her features look even more sculpted and alluring. Bai Biqing swiped the key card: “I trust that. Well… here is the key card.”

Su Yanshi pressed her lips together, forcing down her emotional tipping point, which was about to explode. She held the suitcase and reached out to take the key card. The Beta was slightly turned away. When Su Yanshi looked up, she couldn’t help but glimpse the pheromone patch on the back of her neck.

She gasped sharply, her body trembling slightly. The memory of the biting played in her mind like a high-definition film. Her fingers still felt the residual warmth of Bai Biqing’s body. She seemed to smell that intoxicating scent again. Her pheromones instantly erupted, flooding the entire hallway.

The sheer concentration of the pheromones made Bai Biqing raise an eyebrow in surprise. She didn’t seem to do anything.

Or perhaps it was just a coincidence that the Alpha was near her when she finally broke.

Li Zhuonan, standing beside them, was so suppressed he could barely breathe. Leaning against the wall, the difference in rank made cold sweat bead on his forehead. He managed to force out a shaky voice: “Yanshi… I’m going now. Take care of yourself.”

Su Yanshi’s hand holding the key card was shaking. She struggled to open the door and said apologetically, “Sorry, Brother.”

Li Zhuonan waved his hand, gave one last look of concern, and forced himself into the elevator.

Bai Biqing hummed, asking cautiously, “Are you okay?”

“I’m… I’m fine!” Su Yanshi buried her head even lower. She frantically opened the apartment door, quickly said, “Goodbye, Artist Bai,” and plunged inside.

Before the door closed, she thought she heard Bai Biqing’s brief, soft laugh.

It was so humiliating!

Su Yanshi tossed the suitcase onto the floor, turned on the light, and collapsed. She violently tore open the suitcase and searched frantically for her suppressant. Finally finding it in a hidden compartment, she bit the cap off, located a vein, and plunged the needle in. It wasn’t until the blue liquid was injected that her overwhelming emotions gradually subsided.

The Alpha lay flat on the floor, panting heavily. Her rut was in full swing. Her eyes were bloodshot and carried a rare, brutal intensity, like she was scrutinizing the room. The decor was warm. She tilted her head and saw a painting still hanging on the wall—it was a sea.

She was suddenly reminded that Bai Biqing’s eyes were also as deep as the sea.

Su Yanshi tightly closed her eyes, unable to stop recalling the various moments in the lounge: the sensation of her canine teeth piercing the skin, the Beta’s muffled groan, and the unforgettable scent.

How could a Beta smell so good?

Her eyes fixed on the jacket draped over the open suitcase—the jacket that had been in contact with Bai Biqing.

Su Yanshi’s gaze grew hazy. Driven by an impulse, she took the jacket, knelt on the floor, let out a suppressed moan in her throat, and uncontrollably buried her face deep into the fabric, frantically and obsessively craving the residual pheromones clinging to it.

I think I might be going crazy.

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