Honey, Open The Door. I Want To Give You The Room Key - Chapter 35

When Lou Qingshuang heard the news, her expression remained flat. She hadn’t intended to return to that house anyway. Today was the Shanghai Business Forum. Both Liu Yu and Bai Wan had to attend; as leaders of a rising enterprise, they needed to participate in the discussions and network.

The forum venue was massive, capable of holding over three thousand people. Lou Qingshuang and Bai Wan sat in the middle section, listening to Liu Yu speak. Lou Qingshuang looked at the peaceful, approachable smile on Liu Yu’s face and thought to herself that every business tycoon is truly a skilled actor.

Liu Yu sat on the stage sharing her experiences with the crowd. Everyone listened intently. Her gaze fell upon Lou Qingshuang for a brief second before shifting away. Being able to enter this forum was proof that Wanshuang Company was already on the path to becoming a medium-sized enterprise.

When Liu Yu’s speech ended, the room erupted in a thunderous round of applause.

“As expected of Chairman Liu—concise and to the point, not a single wasted word,” whispered the person sitting next to Lou Qingshuang, a Beta who appeared to be an ardent fan of Liu Yu. Lou Qingshuang and Bai Wan followed the crowd and applauded politely.

After the forum concluded, Liu Yu encountered Lou Qingshuang in the corridor near the restrooms. She was still dressed in her sophisticated women’s suit.

“How have you been since that night?” Liu Yu initiated the conversation.

“Thank you for your help that night, Chairman Liu. I haven’t had the chance to thank you properly yet.” Lou Qingshuang’s tone was polite but distant, offering no opening for closeness.

Liu Yu nodded and said nothing more, though her eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment—and a recurring urge to control Lou Qingshuang again. She eventually suppressed the thought, but it flared up again when she saw Wei Ting chatting and laughing with Lou Qingshuang once more.

Liu Yu narrowed her eyes. Since Lou Qingshuang wasn’t suffering from heartbreak and was willing to let an Alpha approach her, what did it matter if Liu Yu made a move again? She hadn’t forgotten the previous mark. Liu Yu licked her marking teeth; it was a pity there had been no pheromones at the time, and Lou Qingshuang had already left by the time she woke up.

Liu Yu stood outside the crowd watching Wei Ting approach Lou Qingshuang. While Liu Yu held a tall glass and conversed with others, her eyes drifted toward Lou Qingshuang from time to time. Whenever Lou Qingshuang noticed, Liu Yu had already looked away.

From a distance, Lou Qingshuang caught sight of Liu Yu, but she withdrew her gaze after a single glance. Once the forum ended, Liu Yu watched as Wei Ting drove Lou Qingshuang away.

She could only watch. Zhu Yan, seeing the look in Liu Yu’s eyes, wanted to comment: Chairman Liu, you didn’t pursue her when you should have, and now that someone else is, you’re uncomfortable.

“Let’s go,” Liu Yu said as she got into her car. As soon as Zhu Yan entered, she heard Liu Yu command, “Go and investigate Wei Ting.”

Zhu Yan’s hand paused while fastening her seatbelt.

“Yes, Chairperson.”

In Wei Ting’s car, Lou Qingshuang looked at Wei Ting’s profile. “Senior, I want to give you an answer to what you asked me before.”

Wei Ting’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. She had previously asked Lou Qingshuang if she could have a chance to pursue her. Wei Ting smiled softly, with a touch of disappointment. “You’re refusing, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry, Senior. I don’t plan on developing a relationship with anyone for the time being,” Lou Qingshuang explained.

“I understand. Thank you for being considerate and telling me privately face-to-face,” Wei Ting replied gracefully.

After Wei Ting dropped her off, Lou Qingshuang watched the car disappear before turning to walk away. She walked through her old neighborhood, where many people were out for a stroll.

By the time she reached home, she felt exhausted. The back of her neck was burning. Reaching back to touch her gland, she realized it was scorching hot.

“Pheromone Pseudo-Heat Syndrome,” Lou Qingshuang muttered, leaning against the door, uttering the medical term.

She hadn’t had a heat in a long time. The sudden recovery of her glands made it difficult for her body to adapt, resulting in a “pseudo-heat” to adjust to its restored functions. She leaned against the wall, panting. The empty house felt cold around her.

She took a relief pill prescribed by her doctor and went to bed without even changing her clothes. This syndrome would likely recur five or six times. If she had an Alpha’s temporary mark, it could end in two or three cycles and be far less painful.

During a heat, the body temperature reaches its peak, and intense mating pheromones are released. For the first time, Lou Qingshuang’s pheromones erupted with such intensity that the air in the room was saturated with the scent of roses, as if an entire garden had been planted there. She felt as though she were lying in a rose garden, the most vibrant flower of them all, waiting for someone to catch her fragrance.

Drenched in sweat and frowning in discomfort, she endured the pseudo-heat. She was an S-level Omega; without an S-level Alpha of the same grade, her glands would eventually wither.

In her hazy state, she thought she smelled Liu Yu’s pheromones—roses on a frozen tundra. When she opened her eyes, the room was empty, and dawn had broken. Lou Qingshuang sat up and saw that her clothes were soaked with sweat, smelling so strongly of roses it was almost intoxicating.

She rubbed her brow. She was lucky it had happened at home; she feared having a pseudo-heat in public most of all. She changed her damp clothes and took a shower, sighing silently as her fingers brushed against her still-swollen gland.

“Wan-wan, I need to go to the hospital today to check my glands,” Lou Qingshuang called Bai Wan.

“Do you want me to come with you? Is the pseudo-heat serious this time?” Bai Wan asked, having just woken up.

“It’s more severe than before. The gland is constantly hot and won’t cool down.” Lou Qingshuang touched her neck; her pheromones were leaking continuously. She needed medical intervention.

“I’ll be there right away,” Bai Wan said, concerned for her friend.

“Okay, thank you, our dear Wan-wan,” Lou Qingshuang said with a smile.

Both women changed and headed for the hospital. Lou Qingshuang brought a bottle of pheromone-blocking spray just in case.

In the car, Lou Qingshuang felt dizzy. Her pheromones had broken through the blocking patch and were filling the vehicle without her realizing it. She was extremely thirsty and craved an Alpha’s comfort. Her true heat had arrived.

“I told you I hate pheromones,” Lou Qingshuang muttered before blacking out in the car. This feeling of losing control was truly disgusting to her.

Her greatest dream was to be a self-controlled Beta, not an Omega ruled by pheromones. This was why she disliked intimacy; she didn’t want to be marked, nor did she want to experience the loss of her rational mind.

She struggled to open her eyes and saw a figure—Liu Yu. Liu Yu, why is it always you?

Liu Yu was standing outside, knocking on the window. Seeing Lou Qingshuang slumped inside, she called out, “Lou Qingshuang, wake up! Unlock the door!”

Hearing the muffled voice, Lou Qingshuang pressed the unlock button. Click.

Liu Yu yanked the door open, and a surging scent of S-level roses rushed out, entangling itself around her. Liu Yu grabbed the pheromone neutralizer from the car and sprayed it several times to clear the air. She shut the door, entered from the passenger side, and moved Lou Qingshuang over.

In the distance, her bodyguards watched their boss struggle to move the person inside the car. None of them dared to help; instead, they focused on directing traffic to keep other cars away.

Lou Qingshuang’s phone rang. Liu Yu picked it up and saw it was Bai Wan. She answered.

“Bai Wan, Lou Qingshuang has fainted,” Liu Yu said calmly. “Her heat has arrived.” Liu Yu kept using the neutralizer to avoid being affected; the scent was quite pungent.

Standing at the hospital entrance, Bai Wan was conflicted. She knew the history between Liu Yu and Lou Qingshuang. She wanted Liu Yu to help, but she knew how much Qingshuang hated being marked.

“Please bring her to the hospital, Chairman Liu. I’m counting on you,” Bai Wan pleaded.

“You know what she needs right now is an Alpha’s help, don’t you?” Liu Yu asked.

“Qingshuang loathes being marked. She cannot accept it, not even a temporary mark,” Bai Wan explained.

In that moment, Liu Yu finally understood why Lou Qingshuang had been so repulsed by her words before. She looked down at the unconscious woman who was still frowning in her sleep. Many people refuse to let pheromones control them, leading to an intense hatred of the marking process.

“I’ll get her to the hospital,” Liu Yu said and hung up.

At the pheromone clinic, doctors were already waiting with a gurney. Liu Yu carried Lou Qingshuang out of the car. The rose pheromones clung to her tightly, making Liu Yu’s own gland burn as it sought to break through her blocking patch in response.

When Lou Qingshuang finally woke up, the restless pheromones in her body had calmed. Liu Yu was sitting on a small sofa in the room, flipping through a book.

“Why are you here?” Lou Qingshuang asked, her voice hoarse.

“I brought you to the hospital.” Liu Yu closed the book, stood up, and poured a glass of water for her.

“Thank you.” Lou Qingshuang reached out for the water, noticing the marks on the back of her hand from the IV drip.

“Lou Qingshuang, we could sign a contract marriage,” Liu Yu said suddenly.

The shock caused the water in Lou Qingshuang’s hand to splash. She stared at her in disbelief. This person, who previously refused to even have a serious talk, was suddenly willing?

“No, thank you,” Lou Qingshuang rejected.

“I have used suppressants on my glands for years, and they are on the verge of collapsing. As an S-level Alpha, my collapse is faster than others. You know that once a gland collapses, there is almost no survival for the Alpha,” Liu Yu admitted her struggle.

“You are in the same position, aren’t you? Your glands are withering. We can help each other. Most importantly, my collapse might not be alleviated. If you marry or date me, there’s a good chance you’ll become a widow,” Liu Yu said softly.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Whoever marries you would inherit a massive business empire,” Lou Qingshuang mocked.

“I’m sorry for what I said before. It was hurtful,” Liu Yu said, lowering her head in a rare apology. She realized she had indeed ignored Lou Qingshuang’s dignity.

Lou Qingshuang looked at Liu Yu, her mind racing. She thought of Shen Qiao. Liu Yu had saved her mother, and that debt couldn’t be settled with just three million. Now that Liu Yu was being honest about her situation, Lou Qingshuang couldn’t remain indifferent. Even if it required marking, she would step in to save her.

“Liu Yu, you helped my mother, and I have always kept that in my heart. Forget the marriage, but we can sign an agreement. I will help you treat your gland until the doctor says you are fine.” Lou Qingshuang looked at her with clear, firm eyes, showing her inner strength.

Looking into those eyes, Liu Yu suddenly felt a pang of regret for her past behavior. She was a person who rarely trusted anyone, and she hadn’t realized how deeply she had wounded the person who had once approached her with a sincere heart.

“Fine. I’ll have the agreement drafted. And… I won’t perform a deep mark without your consent,” Liu Yu promised.

“Good,” Lou Qingshuang agreed.

As they spoke, Lou Qingshuang’s phone rang. It was Wei Ting.

“Qingshuang, I’ve been suddenly transferred abroad by the company. I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” Wei Ting’s melancholy voice came through.

Lou Qingshuang instinctively looked up at Liu Yu. “Was this you’re doing?”

Liu Yu pursed her lips, her eyes showing a hint of guilt. “Sorry.”

At that moment, a headline quietly hit the news. A photo of Liu Yu carrying Lou Qingshuang had been captured and posted online. Rumors began to spread instantly: the reason Lan Dai Company lost the lawsuit was that Lou Qingshuang had a tycoon backing her—a tycoon who had snatched someone else’s fiancée!