Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 57

After everyone had left, Jiang Qi picked up the umbrella from the ground. Looking at the dusty brown mud staining both her and Chi Shuang’s clothes, she chuckled, “How come even covered in mud, you still look so pretty?”

As she spoke, she mischievously pinched Chi Shuang’s cheek with her muddy hand.

Chi Shuang feigned anger. “What are you doing! Are you trying to ruin my image?”

“Huh?” Jiang Qi blinked. “Do you even have an image left on this show?”

“Of course I do!” Chi Shuang was genuinely annoyed and lunged at Jiang Qi to get back at her.

But in an instant, Jiang Qi wrapped an arm around her waist. “Be good, it’s dangerous here. Let’s save the mischief for home, alright, sweetheart?”

Trapped in Jiang Qi’s embrace, Chi Shuang lost her momentum. Frustrated, she bumped her head against Jiang Qi’s chin. Watching Jiang Qi flinch in pain, a bright, triumphant smile spread across her lips.

“Heh, that’s for being mean to me!”

Jiang Qi felt like a wronged Dou E, on the verge of bringing about a summer snowstorm.

“I wasn’t…” she mumbled in a small, aggrieved voice, defending herself.

But the despotic, tyrannical ruler waved a hand, cutting off her protest. “I say you were, so you were. Hmph!”

Laughing and teasing, the two made their way back. Suddenly, Jiang Qi called out to Chi Shuang in a serious tone.

Chi Shuang turned her head with a questioning “Hmm?” “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Qi took Chi Shuang’s hand. “Last time, you asked me if I was afraid of roller coasters, right? To be honest, a little, because they’re so high.”

“Oh, that.” Chi Shuang had long forgotten about it and didn’t think much of it.

“Actually, it’s not roller coasters I’m afraid of, it’s amusement parks.” Jiang Qi smiled as she spoke, but to Chi Shuang, the expression only evoked heartache.

Most children adore amusement parks, and even adults rarely resist their charm. So why would Jiang Qi be afraid?

Chi Shuang kept her thoughts to herself, knowing everyone has things they’d rather not share. Skilled at listening, she didn’t interrupt Jiang Qi.

Their pace slowed as they strolled, in no hurry to return to the village. Instead, they stole a little time for just the two of them on that mountain path.

“When I was very young, around four or five, my parents took me to an amusement park,” Jiang Qi began. Yet, when mentioning her parents, her tone held no emotion, lacking the warmth and dependence most people show when speaking of theirs.

“Oh, and I’ve told you before, right? My parents have a great relationship, they’re especially loving.”

Chi Shuang nodded. It had been mentioned before; she had also seen it long ago, Jiang Qi’s parents really did have a wonderful relationship. Even after nearly thirty years of marriage, they were even more affectionate than newly dating couples.

“It seems all children are very dependent on their parents when they’re young. To be honest, back then, when Grandma told me my parents were taking me to the amusement park, I was overjoyed.”

Jiang Qi’s eyes curved into a smile, but there was no trace of joy in them.

Hearing Jiang Qi say this, Chi Shuang couldn’t help but wonder what Jiang Qi looked like as a child, she must have been adorable.

Still, Chi Shuang didn’t interrupt her. She simply tilted her head, watching and listening as Jiang Qi spoke.

“The next day, my parents really did come to pick me up and take me to the amusement park. We had a great time. Well… actually, they had a great time.”

Jiang Qi let out a self-mocking laugh.

Up to this point, it sounded like a heartwarming story, yet Chi Shuang furrowed her brows. It probably wasn’t that simple.

Chi Shuang could sense it, Jiang Qi was using her words to try and beautify this memory.

“It would have been perfect if things had stayed that way… if they hadn’t abandoned me at the amusement park…”

In the dimly lit amusement park, little Jiang Qi crouched alone in a corner: “Dad… Mom?”

In the distance, the bright lights of the Ferris wheel shone. Little Jiang Qi stumbled and staggered, trying to catch up to the man and woman walking side by side ahead: “Mom, Dad… I’m right here…”

“Yeah, after my parents rode the Ferris wheel, they went home. It would have been quite romantic… if they didn’t have a daughter.”

Jiang Qi smiled helplessly.

“Luckily, my grandma realized around ten o’clock that those two hadn’t brought me back. Thankfully, the Jiang family had the resources to turn the entire amusement park upside down, and they found me in some remote corner. I was so frightened that I developed a high fever. If they hadn’t found me quickly, I’d probably be a babbling fool by now.”

Chi Shuang was an actress, accustomed to visualizing scenes from scripts. As she listened to Jiang Qi’s story, she couldn’t help but picture it in her mind.

Even though Jiang Qi had used calm and embellished language to describe it, Chi Shuang still imagined some heart-wrenching scenes.

An amusement park with the lights off is terrifying. The usually cute statues and figures take on a sinister aura under the cover of night.

Sometimes, it’s not the objects themselves that are frightening, it’s the human mind that imbues them with all sorts of eerie shades.

Chi Shuang lowered her eyelashes. She didn’t want to judge Jiang Qi’s parents, nor did she want to say anything.

At that moment, she had only one impulse to hold the girl in front of her tightly.

And so, she did. The moment she pulled Jiang Qi into her embrace, a tear suddenly fell from Chi Shuang’s eye: “You’ve had it hard all these years. Look…”

The rain had stopped at some point, and the sunlight streaming down even cast a faint, shallow rainbow.

Jiang Qi looked up, then hugged her back tightly. “It wasn’t hard. After going through all that, I no longer have any expectations of that couple. They might be a model married pair, but they’re not good parents. The only family I have is my grandma and uncle.”

Chi Shuang nodded, then asked, “What about me?”

“You’re my beloved.” Jiang Qi’s long eyelashes brushed against Chi Shuang’s earlobe, sending a shiver through her.

From the earlobe to the cheek, a flush spread unconsciously.

“Stop it!” Chi Shuang, overwhelmed with embarrassment, turned to anger but was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. Jiang Qi’s body was scorching hot, and a strong scent of jasmine oolong tea suddenly wafted through the air.

“Xiao Qi?”

Chi Shuang’s voice trembled.

Jiang Qi took a few deep breaths, biting her lip as she struggled to restrain herself, yet she forcibly pushed Chi Shuang away. “I think… I’ve entered my sensitive period…”

Chi Shuang’s sweet chocolate milk pheromones lingered at the tip of Jiang Qi’s nose. She clenched her jaw tightly, refusing to give in.

With immense willpower, she defied her instincts and pushed Chi Shuang away. “You go first, I…”

As she spoke, Jiang Qi could no longer control herself, trembling as she collapsed to the ground.

This was why she hated being an Alpha. Every time her sensitive period arrived, she lost control over her body.

But in her worldview, only beasts were incapable of restraining their desires.

Normally, Jiang Qi kept her pheromones well concealed, so few people even knew what they smelled like.

In their first life, they had been lovers, so Chi Shuang knew. She had once wondered why Jiang Qi was so meticulous about hiding her pheromones, never letting even a hint escape in public.

Now she understood, the girl before her was truly, deeply gentle, never wanting to cause trouble for anyone.

This was Chi Shuang’s first time facing the unrestrained pheromonal pressure of an S-class Alpha. Fortunately, her own rank was high too. If she were a lower-level Omega, it would likely have forcibly triggered her estrus.

Chi Shuang wanted to go back and fetch suppressants for her, but she worried about leaving Jiang Qi alone, especially since Alphas tended to become irritable when their sensitive period first hit.

“Baby…” Jiang Qi’s voice was soft and alluring. Even sitting on the dirt mound of the hillside, her beauty remained undiminished.

Her damp clothes clung to her skin, outlining her exceptionally graceful curves.

Damn it, now she was even more worried.

Jiang Qi was struggling intensely, and Chi Shuang’s heart softened at the sight of her furrowed brow, wanting to give her a comforting hug.

After an internal struggle, Chi Shuang bit her lip and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Jiang Qi. “You can mark me…”

Her voice was soft, yet resolute.

Jiang Qi, already on the verge of losing control, immediately pinned Chi Shuang beneath her upon hearing those words. Yet, she remained gentle, cushioning Chi Shuang’s head with her hand to prevent any injury.

Her lips brushed against Chi Shuang’s neck for a while, but she made no move to seek out her scent gland. Instead, she simply held her, five minutes, ten minutes…

Until the wildly overflowing pheromones from Jiang Qi gradually stabilized, fading into a faint, lingering trace of jasmine oolong.

“Baby…” Jiang Qi’s voice was hoarse.

Chi Shuang could hardly imagine what Jiang Qi had just endured.

During their sensitive period, Alphas typically needed to mark or possess an Omega to alleviate their suffering, but Jiang Qi…

Suddenly, Chi Shuang understood why she had fallen for such a person. How could anyone not be moved by someone so gentle and restrained?

“I love you…” Chi Shuang’s voice was so soft, as if speaking to herself.

But Jiang Qi heard it and held her tightly. “I heard you. You said it. You… can’t take it back.”

Jiang Qi’s voice carried a hint of childishness and a touch of panic, as if she were afraid Chi Shuang might abandon her.

“I don’t go back on my word once it’s spoken,” Chi Shuang replied, then pursed her lips slightly. “The ground is really uncomfortable. Can I get up first before we continue?”

“No!” Jiang Qi pouted childishly, then wrapped her arms around Chi Shuang and rolled over, positioning Chi Shuang on top of her.

Jiang Qi’s smile bloomed like a flower, adding an extra layer of allure to her already exquisite and beautiful face.

“So… can I be promoted to official status now?”

Chi Shuang pinched her cheek: “Hmph, you’re taking advantage of the situation, you know.”

“I don’t know.” Jiang Qi pouted: “I’m going to take advantage anyway. Hurry up, marry me!”

Chi Shuang: “???”

As they laughed, Jiang Qi couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss Chi Shuang’s lips.

Suddenly, Chi Shuang who is flustered, reached out to wipe Jiang Qi’s tears: “What’s wrong? Don’t cry… Seeing you cry like this… Ah!” It breaks my heart.

Chi Shuang had never seen Jiang Qi cry before, not even once.

Accustomed to Jiang Qi’s cool exterior and occasional displays of gentle attentiveness, this vulnerable side of her stirred a protective instinct in Chi Shuang.

“Official girlfriend status, official status! Please stop crying!”

Seeing that she couldn’t comfort her, Chi Shuang simply gave up resisting and helplessly, somewhat confusedly, agreed to Jiang Qi’s request.

“Really?” Jiang Qi asked with a sob, sniffing as she felt utterly embarrassed but unable to control herself.

But then she remembered she was now Chi Shuang’s official girlfriend and no longer felt ashamed.

Is it really embarrassing to be embarrassed in front of your own girlfriend? Of course not!

Thinking this, Jiang Qi felt completely unburdened. After sitting up, she closed her eyes and brought her face close to Chi Shuang’s: “Wipe my face, please~”

Chi Shuang, expressionless and resigned: “You’re not Jiang Qi, are you? Have you been possessed?”

Jiang Qi: “Possessed???”

Possessed?

The thought occurred to both of them simultaneously.

An Alpha’s sensitive period lasts two to three days. These episodes are intermittent, with no telling when they might start.

After all the affectionate moments, when they got up, they discovered they had truly become mud dolls. While the front was relatively clean, their backs were covered in fresh, wet mud.

“Little mud figure.” Chi Shuang chuckled, poking her cheek in an attempt to get back at her for the earlier cheek-pinching.

“Aren’t you one too?” Jiang Qi took her official girlfriend’s hand and rubbed her cheek against Chi Shuang’s, spreading the mud evenly.

“Ahhh! You scheming Alpha!” Chi Shuang cried out in frustration.

Jiang Qi gently touched Chi Shuang’s cheek, pursed her lips slightly with a hint of reluctance: “I… might have to go back early.”