My Childhood Friend, Who Is An Omega, Has Become My Personal Secretary - Chapter 1

“It’s good that you’re back.”

The phone rang three times. Ji Zeyuan picked up her mobile, and upon seeing the name displayed on the screen, her heart tightened. Her index finger moved faster than her brain, tapping the “decline” button.

Immediately after hanging up, without even a second’s pause, the other party called again. Ji Zeyuan ignored it this time, quietly waiting for the ringtone to time out and the call to disconnect automatically.

“Miss, Sister Hua said you’ve returned to the country. Why aren’t you answering my calls?”

Seeing this message, Ji Zeyuan clicked her tongue and opened the chat window for Hua Jianjiu. She typed out each word with emphasis: “You bastard, didn’t I tell you not to mention my return to her?”

The reply came almost instantly: “Sorry, drank a bit too much, and my mouth slipped.”

Faced with such a low-effort explanation, Ji Zeyuan couldn’t even summon the energy to sigh. She simply silenced her phone, turned off the screen, and looked out the car window at the fading sunset.

The person relentlessly calling her was Zhang Linen, the daughter of the Ji family’s housekeeper, Aunt Zhang. When Ji Zeyuan was five years old, Aunt Zhang had come to work for the Ji family, bringing Zhang Linen along, who then became a permanent resident of the household.

She and Zhang Linen had met at age five and grew up together as childhood friends—until the year she turned eighteen, when she left the country without a word of farewell.

Ji Zeyuan’s brow furrowed slightly as a wave of bitterness surged in her chest. This bitterness served as a constant reminder that she was still in love with Zhang Linen.

In the midst of her internal turmoil, the phone chimed again. It was a message from Zhang Linen.

“Can we meet? I know you must hate me, I just want to know why.”

Ji Zeyuan looked at the message and let out a helpless, bitter smile. She thought to herself: Silly girl, how could I possibly hate you? I can’t even manage to stop loving you.

The last sliver of red sunset was swallowed by the night, and the neon lights of the bustling city flickered to life.

The driver braked: “Miss, we’ve arrived.”

Outside the window was the familiar estate. A hollowed-out iron gate stood before a three-story detached villa. The black-painted railings, illuminated by streetlights, looked like shadow guards of the night. Behind the gate was a concrete driveway wide enough for a single car; about ten meters down the path, a carport sat to the right while a small garden filled with greenery lay to the left.

It was June, and the roses in the garden were in full bloom, vibrantly releasing their fragrance. This scent was identical to Ji Zeyuan’s pheromones. Fifteen years ago, she and Zhang Linen had planted this garden of roses with their own hands. Though the flowers had been replaced many times since then, the layout of the garden remained unchanged.

The swing set standing by the flowerbed swayed in the wind, making a creaking sound. The frame was old, showing obvious signs of rust—a stark contrast to the recently repainted house. This, too, was a relic from the past. Back then, Zhang Linen loved sitting there to read and study. When Ji Zeyuan asked why she insisted on studying there, Zhang Linen said it was because the area was filled with her scent, which made her feel at ease.

Ji Zeyuan’s thoughts swirled, and a sudden pang of pain hit her chest. Her eyes grew hot, nearly brimming over with tears.

She did not want to return to this house; it was far too crowded with memories of Zhang Linen. Had it not been for her father’s insistence, she intended never to step foot here again for the rest of her life.

With an uneasy heart, Ji Zeyuan turned the door handle and stepped out of the car. She entered the gate code; once accepted, the electric gate groaned open. She took a deep breath and stepped into this place she hadn’t seen in so long.

Before entering the villa, Ji Zeyuan couldn’t help but glance back at the swing set once more. For a fleeting second, she hallucinated seeing Zhang Linen sitting there, just having finished a book and looking up to wave at her.

Inside the house, the decor of the main hall was the same as before, only much more weathered. Ji Zeyuan scanned the room, her gaze finally landing on a framed photo of two people on the table: herself and Zhang Linen.

“Xiao Yuan.” Her father’s voice came from behind her. Caught off guard, Ji Zeyuan turned around, only to freeze instantly.

Beside her father, Zhang Linen was staring at her intently. Those familiar peach-blossom eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. The hair that used to reach her waist was now cut to half that length, draped casually over her shoulders. Her beautiful face had lost its adolescent innocence, replaced by the sophisticated maturity of an adult.

Ji Zeyuan had considered the possibility of running into Zhang Linen here. She had specifically instructed her father not to let anyone know about this meeting, and her father had promised to keep it a secret. Clearly, he had not kept his word.

Encountering Zhang Linen so unexpectedly left Ji Zeyuan in a panic. She immediately wanted to find an excuse to leave: “Dad, I just remembered I have some business to handle. I might need to go now.”

At those words, Zhang Linen’s lips twitched in a way that looked like neither a smile nor a cry. Her brow dropped, and the light in her eyes dimmed.

Her father also looked disappointed, his voice carrying a hint of entreaty: “Xiao Yuan, you’ve finally come home after all this time. Stay and have dinner.”

He added emphatically: “You can go do whatever you need to do after we eat.”

Having been pushed to this point, Ji Zeyuan had neither the reason nor the courage to refuse again. She could only concede helplessly.

Perhaps because her father was present, Zhang Linen remained very quiet. She didn’t display the persistence or desperation she had shown in her calls and texts, which allowed Ji Zeyuan to breathe a silent sigh of relief.

The family chef had prepared dinner. As the servants set the table, Ji Zeyuan waited for Zhang Linen to sit first so that she could take the seat furthest away from her. Throughout the process, she kept her head down, avoiding Zhang Linen’s burning gaze.

During the meal, her father brought up the purpose of her return: “I held a board meeting at the group headquarters today and announced your appointment as the new CEO. Those old foxes in the group know I intend to retire, and they’re all watching like hawks. You must use this opportunity to perform well.”

Ji Zeyuan nodded slightly. She wasn’t surprised; her father had notified her in advance that her return was specifically to take over the Jixia Group.

“You are a bright child. I can retire in peace knowing you’ve taken over.” Her father paused, glanced at Zhang Linen, cleared his throat, and said: “I’ve also arranged for Linen to work under you. Linen grew up with you and is like half a daughter to me. Having sisters together means no infighting, and you can support each other.”

Hearing this, Ji Zeyuan’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. Her father’s ability to say something so shameless and high-sounding made her stomach turn with physical nausea.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Ji Zeyuan said. She left the table and headed to the nearest restroom on the first floor.

The first-floor restroom was rarely used and smelled strongly of artificial fragrance. Ji Zeyuan turned the handle, locked the door, and violently turned on the faucet. As the water rushed out, she splashed her face several times.

The cold water helped stabilize her chaotic mind. She turned off the faucet, braced her hands against the edge of the sink, and looked at her reflection—a face covered in water droplets and deep weariness. She let out a long, heavy breath.

Her cheeks were tinged with a faint pink, and her throat felt hot and painful. These were the warning signs of an impending rut.

The moment she saw Zhang Linen, her pheromones had become restless. A primitive, fundamental desire was tugging at her nerves, making her want to throw everything aside just to embrace the other woman.

As a Premium Alpha, she was usually excellent at regulating her pheromones. This was the first time she had nearly lost control.

After calming her emotions and her pheromones, Ji Zeyuan wiped the water from her face and turned the handle to open the door. The door hit something as it opened, pausing with a slight resistance.

Standing right in front of the door was Zhang Linen, her gaze deep and inscrutable.

A flash of surprise crossed Ji Zeyuan’s eyes, but she quickly adjusted her expression, smoothing over any ripples of emotion back into a calm facade.

“Move,” Ji Zeyuan said flatly, her tone devoid of anger or any other emotion.

Zhang Linen didn’t budge. She had no intention of stepping aside; instead, she propped her hand against the doorframe, blocking Ji Zeyuan’s path even more firmly.

This action triggered a sense of panic in Ji Zeyuan. She didn’t trust herself to remain “unscathed” while in such close proximity to Zhang Linen.

So, she repeated those two words, her tone colder and more resolute this time: “Move out of the way!”

There was a noticeable height difference between them. Ji Zeyuan was 176cm, while Zhang Linen was half a head shorter. Ji Zeyuan could have easily pushed her aside with brute force, and the thought did flash through her mind. However, when her eyes met Zhang Linen’s dark, clear ones, her entire body froze like a rusted machine.

They were very close. The sound of Zhang Linen’s breathing echoed clearly in Ji Zeyuan’s ears.

Ji Zeyuan knew Zhang Linen had blocked her because she wanted answers—why she left without saying goodbye, why there had been no contact for eight years.

Ji Zeyuan used the most direct and effective way to avoid the interrogation in Zhang Linen’s eyes: she closed her eyes, determined not to answer anything Zhang Linen might ask.

A few seconds after closing her eyes, she felt a light breeze against her face. The familiar scent of grass—Omega pheromones—washed over her. Ji Zeyuan snapped her eyes open to find Zhang Linen’s hand already resting against her cheek.

Zhang Linen’s fingertips trembled slightly. Her expression was one of restraint, mixed with grievance and an undisguised longing.

“It’s good that you’re back.”

After saying this, Zhang Linen stepped aside to clear the path, as if the eight years she had spent relentlessly searching for Ji Zeyuan were all just for the sake of saying those words.

Ji Zeyuan stood frozen in place. She instinctively glanced sideways at Zhang Linen. When her eyes met those beautiful, moist peach-blossom eyes, she jerked away as if struck by an electric shock.

Unlike her, Zhang Linen wasn’t stiff, though she wasn’t exactly composed either. She simply possessed a level of candidness that Ji Zeyuan lacked—a candidness that allowed her to gaze at Ji Zeyuan without restraint and show her feelings without hiding.

“Mm,” Ji Zeyuan replied briefly, attempting to flee. After two steps, Zhang Linen suddenly called out to her.

“Miss, I will come looking for you,” Zhang Linen said. Her tone was gentle but certain.

Ji Zeyuan’s footsteps faltered. She gritted her teeth in a helpless sigh, not looking back: “How will you find me? You don’t even know where I am.”

Zhang Linen fell silent, whether in agreement or out of sheer helplessness.

“Let’s find a time to talk,” Ji Zeyuan said after a brief internal struggle, turning her head mechanically. There was no joy in Zhang Linen’s eyes; she only asked back softly: “Is this finally your way of giving me a final judgment?”

Ji Zeyuan blinked, then looked away uncomfortably: “Forget it if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to,” Zhang Linen replied without a moment’s hesitation. She asked, “When?”

Ji Zeyuan: “I’ll text you.” She paused for a few seconds before adding, “I’ll text you the location too.”

Zhang Linen nodded slightly: “Okay.” She leaned closer to Ji Zeyuan, her pheromones rushing straight into Ji Zeyuan’s nose. Ji Zeyuan couldn’t help but shudder. Zhang Linen looked at her deeply: “If I don’t hear from you within two days, I will come find you.”

Ji Zeyuan kept her eyes downcast. Without another word, she turned and walked away.