My Childhood Friend, Who Is An Omega, Has Become My Personal Secretary - Chapter 25

“I am single,” Ji Zeyuan said.

Zhang Linen was carried downstairs by Ji Zeyuan. As they descended, Ji Zeyuan felt many gazes, both overt and hidden; perhaps she really should have worn sunglasses and a hat, just as Zhang Linen had suggested.

Having just been marked, Zhang Linen was very quiet, not saying a single word until they reached the car.

The driver, witnessing the intimate scene of the two leaning close to each other, stole several glances through the rearview mirror.

“Are you okay? How do you feel?” Ji Zeyuan asked cautiously, fearing Zhang Linen might have any discomfort.

“I’m okay, just a bit dizzy,” Zhang Linen said in a timid voice, nestling into Ji Zeyuan’s embrace and wrapping her arms around her neck.

Hearing this answer, Ji Zeyuan held Zhang Linen even tighter. Zhang Linen’s warm, cool body pressed close to her, just like when they were children. Back then, Ji Zeyuan wouldn’t let Zhang Linen leave and insisted she stay; the two would sleep in the same bed, and Ji Zeyuan loved to wrap her arms and legs around Zhang Linen, holding her until she could hardly breathe.

Jixia was a shareholder of Wharton Hospital, so upon admission, Zhang Linen was arranged into the best private suite with the top doctors.

After being admitted, Zhang Linen underwent a series of professional examinations. It took about three days to finally confirm the diagnosis.

“It is Pheromone Phobia,” the attending physician said. “Regarding the gentle therapy mentioned by the Third Hospital—which has a professional term, ‘Pheromone Therapy’—I maintain a cautiously optimistic attitude. Miss Zhang is indeed very lucky to have a superior like you, President Ji.”

Ji Zeyuan’s expression was somber as she politely asked, “So, roughly how long will it take for her to fully recover?”

The attending physician answered after some deliberation: “Based on the current situation, the expected timeframe is between three to six months. Pheromone therapy is gentle and slow; curing the condition is like reeling silk from a cocoon—it must be done gradually.”

“However, this kind of treatment does not require hospitalization. She only needs to come to the hospital for regular follow-ups and medication. Miss Zhang can be discharged on her own today.”

Ji Zeyuan walked out of the doctor’s office with a heavy heart. Zhang Linen, dressed in hospital scrubs, was waiting for her at the stairwell. A woman in a business suit was talking to her. Ji Zeyuan hesitated for a moment and did not step forward.

“Are you alone?” the woman asked with a smile.

Zhang Linen ignored her with a cold expression. The woman’s gaze fell on the faint bite mark on the back of her neck, and she said with some regret, “Apologies, I didn’t know you already had a partner.”

Ji Zeyuan, hiding in the shadows, felt her heart flutter. she couldn’t help but wonder how Zhang Linen would respond.

“Do I know you?” Zhang Linen spoke in a chilling tone, her gaze sharp. “Whether or not I have a partner, you wouldn’t have a chance anyway. The ring mark on your hand is so obvious, you idiot.”

The woman’s face turned ashen. She opened her mouth as if to argue back, but ultimately shut it sullenly and left silently.

Ji Zeyuan heard the sound of the woman’s departing footsteps and was wondering when would be the most appropriate time to appear. Before she could finish her thought, Zhang Linen suddenly walked up to her.

“What are you doing here?” Zhang Linen asked with a slight smile, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes curving.

Ji Zeyuan’s eyes darted away as she gave a strained explanation: “I was just about to head over.”

Zhang Linen smiled but said nothing, choosing not to expose her.

“The doctor said you can be discharged. We…” Ji Zeyuan paused. She originally wanted to say “Let’s go home,” but as the words reached her lips, she felt such a phrasing was a bit too intimate. So, her tongue took a turn and she said, “Let’s go.”

After getting into the car, Ji Zeyuan asked Zhang Linen, “Where are you living now? Let’s go pack your luggage first.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Linen turned her head to look out the car window. Her expression was somewhat unnatural as she said, “There’s no need. I don’t have much luggage. Haven’t you had people buy me a lot of clothes these past few days?”

Ji Zeyuan could not see Zhang Linen’s face and did not notice her abnormality. She asked, “Is there nothing else you need to bring with you?”

Zhang Linen replied succinctly, “No.”

During the days spent busy at the hospital, Shen Jiuyue had been persistently calling Ji Zeyuan.

After everything was settled, Ji Zeyuan squeezed out some time to meet Shen Jiuyue at Imperial City.

“President Ji, you seem to have been very busy these past few days. Did something happen?” Shen Jiuyue was dressed beautifully with exquisite makeup; in contrast, Ji Zeyuan was as rigid and elegant as ever.

“Mm,” Ji Zeyuan responded simply. “Let’s talk about official business instead, such as your follow-up endorsement fees.”

Shen Jiuyue’s smile was subtle as she said, “President Ji, rather than that, I would like to talk about something else first.”

Ji Zeyuan raised her eyes and looked at her without speaking. Shen Jiuyue asked, “Does President Ji remember what I told you before? That I have something I want to tell you regarding Secretary Zhang?”

“I remember,” Ji Zeyuan’s expression was cold. “But you should also remember my answer. I—”

“I remember,” Shen Jiuyue interrupted Ji Zeyuan. This was the first time she had displayed a “rude” side in front of Ji Zeyuan. Ji Zeyuan was stunned and remained silent.

“But I feel your answer was actually a bit too overconfident. You don’t know your secretary as well as you think you do,” Shen Jiuyue said.

Ji Zeyuan’s brow furrowed slightly, wanting to retort, but recalling the events of the past few days, what Shen Jiuyue said did not seem entirely groundless.

“Even if that is the case,” Ji Zeyuan’s tone was not good, “what does it have to do with you?”

Shen Jiuyue laughed knowingly. “I knew it would be like this. President Ji, you usually give off an air of being generous and handling everything with ease, but it seems that as soon as you encounter something related to Secretary Zhang, you become a bit irritable.”

At this moment, a waiter entered the private room to serve the food. The two of them simultaneously fell silent.

It wasn’t until the waiter left the room that Ji Zeyuan spoke: “Shen Jiuyue, I said this has nothing to do with you.”

“President Ji, I can forgo requesting additional follow-up endorsement fees, but I have one condition,” Shen Jiuyue changed the subject, returning to the matter of the endorsement.

Ji Zeyuan’s expression softened slightly. “What condition?”

“For the time being, do not clarify the rumors between us, and occasionally cooperate with me to play up our ‘CP’ (couple) image,” Shen Jiuyue said with a smile, her gaze sincere.

Ji Zeyuan’s gaze stalled for a moment, but she quickly calmed down. Her tone was relaxed: “If you are willing, then of course we can. This is harmless to me; the condition you’ve given is clearly a gain for me.”

Shen Jiuyue’s expression was subtle. She looked at Ji Zeyuan as if she wanted to say something more, then put down her utensils and looked on with curiosity: “President Ji, can I ask you one thing?”

Ji Zeyuan nodded slightly. “That is already a question.”

Shen Jiuyue laughed and said, “Do you have a partner you like recently? I smell the scent of Omega pheromones on you.”

She then added, “You can’t say it’s none of my business this time. You just agreed to play up a ‘CP’ image with me. I think I’m allowed to understand your relationship status, right?”

Ji Zeyuan had been staying with Zhang Linen these past few days, and her body was stained with a lot of Zhang Linen’s pheromone scent.

“I am single,” Ji Zeyuan said.

Shen Jiuyue pouted, looking somewhat unhappy. “Then you’ve certainly been close to your secretary lately; you’re covered in her scent.”

The room fell into a silence. Ji Zeyuan did not retort, and her expression remained devoid of emotion, showing no intention of explaining herself.

What does this mean? Is it a tacit admission?

The door to the private room was knocked. Shen Jiuyue suppressed her desire to probe further and lowered her head.

The manager stood at the door and inquired politely, “President Ji, there is a friend of yours outside who would like to see you.”

Ji Zeyuan looked at the manager scrutinizingly and asked as expected, “Do you mean Mia?”

The manager nodded and replied, “Yes.”

Ji Zeyuan said, “Let her come in.”

The manager responded with a “Yes” and withdrew.

Shen Jiuyue looked displeased. “President Ji, how can you agree to see someone else while you’re talking with me?”

Ji Zeyuan gave a polite smirk. “Our business is mostly finished. Miss Shen, the essence of conversation is to simplify; always talking about off-topic matters only wastes both of our time.”

Shen Jiuyue: “…”

“Jessica, I’m really so grateful you were willing to see me…” Mia, who was ecstatic as she pushed open the door, suddenly caught sight of the sulking Shen Jiuyue sitting there and abruptly fell silent.

Mia cautiously closed the door and then sat down on a round stool next to the two of them. As she sat, she nodded to Shen Jiuyue and said, “Miss Shen, what a coincidence.”

Shen Jiuyue ignored her, staring at Ji Zeyuan with a resentful gaze.

Ji Zeyuan turned a blind eye to this and looked coldly at Mia, saying, “Thank you for taking Xiao En to the hospital.”

Hearing the nickname “Xiao En,” Shen Jiuyue’s gaze froze. Mia was struck by a cold shiver from Ji Zeyuan’s sinister look and thought to herself: Are you really giving thanks?

But seeing as she was at fault first, Mia remained submissive and said, “It’s what I should have done. She is your friend.”

After saying this, Ji Zeyuan withdrew her gaze and stopped talking. Mia stole a glance at her and asked carefully, “Then you’re not angry with me anymore? Are we reconciled now? I’m truly sorry for causing you to be misunderstood by Miss Shen. I have already clarified the situation to Miss Shen and confessed that I secretly took the business card from your secretary.”

Shen Jiuyue was startled and guiltily withdrew her resentful gaze, picking up her utensils to eat with her head down.

Ji Zeyuan noticed Shen Jiuyue’s abnormality, stared at her for a few seconds, and then turned to Mia.

“When did you confess?”

Before Mia could answer, Shen Jiuyue suddenly spoke up in a panic: “A few days ago. She confessed to me a few days ago.”

Mia, hearing the wrong answer, was stunned and instinctively looked at Shen Jiuyue. Shen Jiuyue glared at her and quickly gave her a look. Mia immediately pulled back her confused expression and echoed Shen Jiuyue, saying, “Right, it was a few days ago.”

All of this was witnessed by Ji Zeyuan. She had already guessed about seventy or eighty percent of it in her heart; she estimated that Shen Jiuyue had known it wasn’t her who gave the number even before they went to the amusement park.

Ji Zeyuan understood clearly but did not expose Shen Jiuyue. She merely condemned herself in her heart for misunderstanding Zhang Linen, and felt a small sense of relief—thankfully, she hadn’t self-righteously questioned Zhang Linen before figuring out the truth.

“I didn’t break off contact with you because of that incident,” Ji Zeyuan said coldly, eyeing Mia. “Davis, when we were abroad, we argued many times because of your flippancy, but it never reached this point.”

Mia swallowed hard, nervous and confused.

Ji Zeyuan’s gaze darkened, and she said unceremoniously, “Stay away from my secretary in the future. Otherwise, it won’t just be something as childish as deleting and blocking you.”