My Childhood Friend, Who Is An Omega, Has Become My Personal Secretary - Chapter 44

“Or without using hands.”

The dense water vapor permeated the narrow bathroom, and the dim, warm light reflected in the swaying water of the bathtub, plating the clear stream with a layer of orange-gold light.

Ji Zeyuan rested her chin on Zhang Linen’s shoulder. Taking advantage of the fact that Zhang Linen could not see her expression, she allowed the heavy thoughts weighing on her heart to show on her face.

Zhang Linen’s avoidance was too obvious. Ji Zeyuan knew well that she was intentionally hiding something. When dealing with a pretender to extract the truth, blunt questioning or contradiction would only yield the opposite effect.

Temporary agreement did not mean Ji Zeyuan would sit idly by; she simply did not want to pry too deeply. If she showed too much concern, it would only make Zhang Linen vigilant, making it even harder to uncover the cause.

“Go back after you finish your bath.”

Zhang Linen’s voice sounded very hollow in the enclosed bathroom. Ji Zeyuan was slightly stunned. She lifted her chin and asked, “You’re letting me go back alone? What about you?”

“I’m staying here,” Zhang Linen said. She stood up from the bathtub, and the full tub of water overflowed. Ji Zeyuan followed her up. Zhang Linen pulled open the dry-wet separation door, took a new bath towel from the cabinet outside and threw it to Ji Zeyuan, then wrapped herself in a bathrobe and went out.

Ji Zeyuan wrapped herself in the towel and chased after her. Zhang Linen picked up Ji Zeyuan’s clothes scattered on the floor and placed them on the sofa. Just then, the phone in Ji Zeyuan’s coat pocket rang.

Zhang Linen took the phone out of the pocket; it was a call from Shen Jiuyue.

“Just leave it alone for now,” Ji Zeyuan said, walking over intending to hang up, but Zhang Linen beat her to it and answered the call.

“President Ji, I thought you wouldn’t pick up.” Shen Jiuyue’s tone was somewhat weak.

The corners of Zhang Linen’s mouth tightened. She handed the phone to Ji Zeyuan, her expression icy, her pitch-black eyes gloomy like a night sky without stars.

Ji Zeyuan took the phone. While stealing glances at Zhang Linen, she turned down the volume: “I’m very busy right now. If you have something important, we can talk later.”

On the other end of the line, Shen Jiuyue paused for two seconds and conceded quite readily: “It’s nothing important. I’m just calling as a friend to offer some condolences to the President Ji who is currently being denounced by the public. Also, if you’re in a bad mood and need someone to vent to, you can find me.”

The entertainment industry was always a target for public criticism. From the start of the incident at dawn today, after Ji Zeyuan’s affairs hit the trending searches, Shen Jiuyue—who was associated with her—had also been featured there all day.

Shen Jiuyue was currently the most controversial trending star. To avoid being implicated, she should have released a clarification statement within the golden three hours of the incident.

Furthermore, even if Shen Jiuyue cleared her relationship with Ji Zeyuan, she didn’t need to fear offending Jixia; her own commercial value was already very high.

But she chose not to do so, which was a disguised way of supporting Ji Zeyuan.

Ji Zeyuan naturally understood this logic, but for now, it was time to cut the various ties with Shen Jiuyue clean.

Out of politeness, Ji Zeyuan still intended to speak clearly with Shen Jiuyue in person. She thought for a moment and said, “Let’s meet in Imperial City tomorrow. I’ll message you once I’ve set the specific time.”

Before Shen Jiuyue could finish saying the word “see” in “see you later,” Ji Zeyuan hung up the phone.

Throughout this process, Zhang Linen’s gaze remained fixed on Ji Zeyuan’s face without wavering.

Ji Zeyuan put the phone down. Before she could speak, Zhang Linen raised her hand, pinched Ji Zeyuan’s chin, and kissed her.

The hot, moist, and soft tip of her tongue drove straight in, sweeping across the smooth teeth. Ji Zeyuan supported Zhang Linen’s waist, pulling her close, feeling as if her brain were about to melt.

“Why did Shen Jiuyue call you so late?” Zhang Linen questioned with a slight pant, her fingertips sliding from the chin to the clear, smooth collarbone.

Ji Zeyuan dizzily lifted her eyelids, staring steadily into Zhang Linen’s eyes, and said, “It was just some matters regarding endorsement fees…”

Before the words were fully explained, Ji Zeyuan kissed her again, her hands beginning to wander.

“Wait a moment.” Zhang Linen frowned and pressed down on Ji Zeyuan’s hand. “I don’t want to do it anymore today.”

Ji Zeyuan withdrew her hand and held Zhang Linen quietly. After a moment, she asked cautiously, “Are you feeling very uncomfortable?”

Zhang Linen said mercilessly but in a gentle voice, “It is indeed quite uncomfortable.”

Ji Zeyuan: “…”

“Then was all that just now an act?” Ji Zeyuan released Zhang Linen and pressed further.

Zhang Linen quirked her eyebrows and answered with a question instead: “Are you going to Imperial City tomorrow?” Having said that, she got up and returned to the bedroom.

Ji Zeyuan intended to follow, but before she could stand up, Zhang Linen came out holding a nightgown.

“Can I go with you?” Zhang Linen asked. As she spoke, she shed her bathrobe and began to change into her sleepwear.

Ji Zeyuan’s voice faltered slightly: “Uh… it’s just to talk about some company matters, it’ll be very boring.”

The pure white slip nightgown fitted Zhang Linen’s body curves perfectly. She put it on without anything underneath. The texture of the gown was very smooth and thin; the way it partially concealed her made her look even more seductive than if she were wearing nothing at all.

Ji Zeyuan’s eyes flickered, and she tried to look elsewhere to distract herself. At that moment, a grassy-scented Omega pheromone permeated the air like a snake. A fire instantly ignited in her lower abdomen.

“You talk about your business, and I’ll wait for you outside until you’re finished, then we can eat there together.” Zhang Linen leaned lightly against the wall. Her ink-like eyes were deep as a pool or an abyss, her cherry lips turned up slightly, and her voice was heavy as if it had been brewing for a long time.

Ji Zeyuan figured that it wouldn’t take long to settle things with Shen Jiuyue, and there was no harm in Zhang Linen coming along, so she nodded.

The grass-scented pheromones circled arrogantly around Ji Zeyuan. She suppressed a swallow and said in a low voice, “En-en, didn’t you say you didn’t want to do it anymore today? But your pheromones…”

Suddenly, Ji Zeyuan seemed to realize something. She looked up at Zhang Linen and asked hesitantly, “Are you using your pheromones to mark me?”

An Omega continuously releasing a moderate amount of pheromones, gradually increasing the saturation into their partner’s body, could leave the scent of their pheromones on the partner for a long time. This was a way for an Omega to mark their mate.

Zhang Linen’s eyes curved slightly, a mischievous glint in them: “Does it make you uncomfortable?”

Ji Zeyuan shook her head. She suddenly remembered that during middle school, Zhang Linen often did this. But back then, Ji Zeyuan had not yet differentiated and could not sense pheromones; at that time, Ji Zeyuan was often mistaken for an Omega because of it.

“Not doing ‘it,’ but we can kiss and hug and such.” Zhang Linen walked forward and hooked Ji Zeyuan’s chin with her fingertip. Ji Zeyuan lifted her face, her eyes downcast, her cheeks flushed pink.

Zhang Linen’s heart tightened. Ji Zeyuan’s eyelashes trembled slightly; she pressed her face against Zhang Linen’s abdomen and rubbed against it restlessly.

“…Or without using hands.”

Ji Zeyuan lifted her face, and Zhang Linen’s gaze fell upon her crimson lips. Everything was understood without being said.

The sound of gurgling water was exceptionally loud in the silent room. Zhang Linen threw her head back, the back of her neck tense, her fingertips tearing through the linen surface of the sofa.

A tingling sensation traveled from bottom to top, reaching the gland. Zhang Linen released her grip on the sofa and grabbed Ji Zeyuan’s hair instead. Ji Zeyuan felt as though she were about to suffocate.

The faucet flowed continuously. Ji Zeyuan cupped some water to wash away the residue from her mouth. Zhang Linen threw the tissues into the wastebasket.

“Can’t I stay here tonight?” Ji Zeyuan asked. Zhang Linen lightly stroked the damp hair on the back of Ji Zeyuan’s head and said, “No, I’ll find you tomorrow.”

Ji Zeyuan pouted in disappointment. After a moment of lingering warmth, she put on her clothes and left.

Once Ji Zeyuan had gone, Zhang Linen retrieved the diary she had thrown into the wastebasket earlier.

She opened the cover, pulled out the photograph, and carefully stored it in a drawer.

Then, Zhang Linen rummaged through the drawer for a lighter and took the notebook to the kitchen. She threw the notebook into the dry sink and flicked the lighter.

Just as the tongue of flame was about to lick the grey cover, Zhang Linen paused. She threw the lighter aside and took the notebook out.

Zhang Linen stroked the rough, old cover and, as if possessed, flipped to the first page.

In the second year of junior high, I differentiated. I differentiated into an Omega. I heard from my mother that Omegas are very powerful; if they have someone they like, they can mark their territory like a lion king, leaving their pheromones on the other person. This is a way of declaring to everyone that this person is mine.

I did it. I left my pheromones on her.

Later, all the way through high school, she didn’t differentiate. She went to the hospital for a sex characteristic check-up, and the doctor said she most likely wouldn’t differentiate anymore.

She asked me if I liked Betas? I said I did.

Actually, at that time, I thought she was asking in a roundabout way whether I liked her.

In the second year of high school, she differentiated into a premium Alpha. Her pheromones smelled like roses, just like the rose garden we planted with our own hands in the little garden.

After differentiating, she finally discovered that I often left my pheromones on her. She said it wasn’t fair, and that she wanted to leave her pheromones on me too.

At that time, I felt certain she must like me too; otherwise, why would she keep flirting with me and testing me?

In the third year of high school, while I was waiting with full expectation for graduation—waiting for both her and me to reach adulthood so I could confess to her—she suddenly left without saying goodbye. She went abroad.

She has been abroad for three months now. I haven’t seen her for over six months.

Her phone hasn’t blocked me, yet I can never get through.

Where exactly did it start to go wrong?

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Does she hate me? She went to Hua Jianjiu’s house; why did she avoid only me?

One year.

I bought a bouquet of roses from the florist today, but the smell wasn’t like her at all. It smelled disgusting.

I want to go find her. It’s too painful. I can’t take it anymore. If I really never see her again, I truly won’t be able to hold on.

I didn’t see her.

Mom said if I die, she’ll go with me. I shouldn’t be so selfish. At least I should live for my mother.

It’s still so painful.

Why can’t I just forget her?

Ji Zeyuan, I hate you so much.

Ji Zeyuan, Ji Zeyuan, Ji Zeyuan, Ji Zeyuan, Ji Zeyuan, Ji Zeyuan, Ji Zeyuan.

Mom broke down. She told me to be normal.

Am I already not normal?

Company matters are so annoying. I don’t want to work at all. Everyone laughs at me for being a high schooler, slandering me by saying I relied on unspoken rules to get the position.

How is she doing abroad?

Better to just leave. If I leave, I won’t think of her. If I leave, I won’t torture Mom anymore. If I leave, it won’t be this painful.

I can’t remember so many things, yet I haven’t forgotten a single thing about her.

I saw her in a dream. she was talking and laughing with someone else, dating and kissing.

So disgusting. It makes me want to vomit.

I don’t want to take the medicine anymore.

It’s the New Year. I made two more calls; she still didn’t pick up.

Why doesn’t she just block me?

I hate you.

I really hate you so much.

Why am I the only one for whom leaving you is this painful? What am I to you?

What am I? What exactly am I in your eyes?

I really miss you so much.

Mom is tired of me. She told me if I don’t want to live, I should move out and die on my own, and stop being crazy at home.

I hate myself so much.

The water police officer who saved me called Mom. Mom didn’t come. Then he called the Chairman. His secretary came.

The Chairman said if I can complete this project, he will force Ji Zeyuan to return to the country once she graduates.

Two years left.

One year.

She is finally back.