The Alpha Who Played Me Has Re-Differentiated Into a Delicate Omega - Chapter 18

It was truly exasperating. As the older sister of an Omega, Jiao Jin could not stand seeing someone treat a permanent mark as a joke. Her brow furrowed, her expression turning frostily solemn. “Cui Yu, if you insist on doing this, there is nothing I can do. But I will not take responsibility. You have brought this entirely upon yourself.”

Through their few days of living together, Jiao Jin had thought she was a person of strong character and responsibility. She hadn’t expected herself to blurt out such spiteful words, and yet…

Who actually wanted to use her pheromones for a permanent implantation?

She simply wanted her company for a few more days.

Cui Yu’s head dropped. The stifling, sweltering scent of gardenia in the air slowly dissipated, leaving only the faint aroma of lychees drenched in rain, cold, damp, and heavy.

“Since you’re fine now, I’m going to the hospital first, then I’ll deliver the extracted pheromones. For the next few days, take care of yourself.”

“A-Jin…”

Jiao Jin had intended to leave after giving her verbal instructions, but a final shred of pity remained. She turned her head to look at the stubborn woman, whose eyes were rimmed with red, her lips bitten tight to keep the tears from falling. “Is there anything else?”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed her nervousness and bitterness. Cui Yu was not stupid, she recognized a finality in Jiao Jin’s gaze that had never been there before. This time, she wouldn’t be able to keep her. In case…

She knelt on the bed and reached out both arms to wrap them around Jiao Jin’s waist. The moment their chests met, violent turbulence collided with steady calm.

Feeling a heartbeat that seemed ready to leap out of its chest, Cui Yu rested her chin on Jiao Jin’s shoulder, her fingertips slowly tightening. “One last time. Let me hold you for a moment, okay?”

People with good physical fitness generally have slower heart rates, but compared to this woman’s, Jiao Jin felt like her own heart was failing. She couldn’t help but wonder if her own pulse was too slow or if Cui Yu was simply that terrified.

As she was held, Jiao Jin was counting down in her head. Once the minute was up, she reached out and pushed the woman away. “That’s enough. Goodbye.”

Without another word of entreaty, Cui Yu lowered her lashes. Her gaze lingered on the spots where her fingers had wrinkled Jiao Jin’s clothes. This was her only tangible proof of having truly touched her.

Just as she returned to her apartment via the teleportation point, the red light on her wrist flickered. It was a message from a subordinate at the Detention Bureau, stating that she needed to pick up Cui Peining tomorrow morning, as her detention period was ending.

Rubbing her temples, she saw another message beneath the latest one from this afternoon. Her university classmate, Shen Yu, was asking if she wanted to grab dinner, she had just completed a “Quick Transmigration” mission.

It was a bit late for dinner, but Jiao Jin was bored. She dialed the number. “Drinking?”

Soon, the two of them were sitting in the furthest corner of a self-service lounge bar.

Shen Yu was a female Beta. Her features weren’t as aggressive as an Alpha’s, she was soft, elegant, and wore a gentle smile. She picked up a glass of “Snowy Mountain Pear,” taking two shallow sips. Her voice, moistened by the drink, was clear and tender. “A-Jin, you look troubled?”

Jiao Jin exhaled a sigh, her peach-blossom eyes tinged with sorrow. “I don’t know what’s bothering me. It just feels like my once orderly life has been thrown into chaos.”

“Tell me about it? I’m going in for a memory alignment in a while anyway. I promise to forget everything we talk about tonight.”

Jiao Jin had been hearing that line since university. She let out a laugh. “You’ve been talking about that memory alignment for three years. When are you actually going to resolve to forget that woman?”

Shen Yu’s long fingers brushed against the frost covered rim of her glass, her expression darkening as well. She shook her head. “I just want to see her one last time. It’s been three years, and I haven’t even received a rejection. Every love letter I sent vanished into the abyss. A-Jin, I can’t let it go.”

“You think I’ve let it go?”

“At least you two were togeth…”

Before Shen Yu could finish, Jiao Jin set down her lychee sparkling water. Her gaze was flat, but her brow slowly tightened. “I never told you this, but when Cui Yu broke up with me, it was her choice. She told me that every ‘chance’ encounter was manufactured by her, all so I would fall in love with her just so she could dump me. Back then, I wanted to save face, and I was mindful of your feelings for her, so I didn’t tell you. But now… you really don’t need to persist. She is simply not a good person.”

“What?”

Looking utterly shocked, unable to believe that the proud, cold Instructor Cui from her memory could be so malicious, Shen Yu fell silent for a moment. She asked in confusion, “Why? Why would she play with you like that?”

The bubbles gurgled in Jiao Jin’s throat, a bitterness like that of three years ago resurfacing. She closed her eyes to suppress her displeasure, opening them to reveal only calm. “How should I know? Perhaps it’s the amusement of the elite, looking down at the ants below as they live and die for her.”

The atmosphere between them turned somber. Shen Yu pursed her lips and changed the subject. “By the way, did Zhu Yu and Yu Xi go off on a bet? If they were here, things would definitely be more lively.”

“Yeah, they entered the small worlds a few days ago. I haven’t had time to check on them.”

The crystal glass was soon empty. Jiao Jin drained it and brought up another matter. “Also, my little assistant, Bai Wenmu, went to your Quick Transmigration Bureau. Look out for her for me, she’s an alumna of ours too.”

“She’s not your assistant anymore?”

Seeing Shen Yu’s expression suddenly turn suggestive, having become sensitive to Bai Wenmu’s feelings. Jiao Jin frowned. “You knew all along? And you still let me choose her as my assistant?”

“I was hoping your ‘iron tree’ would finally bloom. It’s been three years. If I can’t let go, is it possible you can’t either?”

“Worry about yourself.”

“Myself? Well, I think your younger sister is quite nice. How about an introduction?”

“Get lost!”

When Jiao Jin stepped out of the lounge bar reeking of alcohol, she… who usually loved organizing her to do lists at night, suddenly realized she hadn’t extracted the pheromones she promised Cui Yu. It was also a good time to tell her about picking up Cui Peining tomorrow.

She went to the hospital first to extract the pheromones into a test tube, then took the teleportation point to the three bedrooms apartment. Considering there was a single Omega inside, she didn’t use her key but chose to knock instead.

When no one answered after two minutes, she finally opened the door and headed straight for the second bedroom where Cui Yu stayed. The sheets and quilt were as messy as when she had left, it didn’t look like anyone had slept in them.

Alarm bells rang in her head. Losing Cui Yu would make it impossible to answer to Director Cui. Jiao Jin clenched her fists and checked the master bedroom. It was empty, just as she suspected. There was only one option left. Though it felt strange, she hoped the woman was in the guest room where she herself had stayed previously.

Holding her breath, she pushed the door open. She saw Cui Yu tangled in the quilt like an octopus. She was lying on her side, arms and legs tightly hugging the soft duvet, her nose buried in the fabric, twitching occasionally.

She was sleeping soundly.

Suddenly feeling that her anxiety had been a massive overreaction, Jiao Jin folded her arms. She didn’t dwell on why Cui Yu was sleeping in her bed, the reason was obvious, her scent was there.

However, her thoughts drifted there involuntarily, making her feel restless. The back of her neck felt itchy. She placed the test tube on the nightstand, intending to leave quietly.

But Cui Yu, now essentially a “Jiao Jin Tracker,” opened her bleary eyes the moment she caught the concentrated, sweet scent of lychee. Her hand reached out instinctively. “A-Jin… are you the real A-Jin?”

She’s literally grabbing me and she still thinks it’s a dream?

Helpless, Jiao Jin sighed, indulging in a moment of rare childishness. “I’m fake. You’re dreaming. Let me go and go back to sleep.”

After she spoke, the dazed look in Cui Yu’s eyes gradually cleared. She bit her lower lip, her voice carrying the coquettishness and lethargy of someone just waking up. “I’m not dreaming. You’re lying to me.”

She shouldn’t have joked, now she was being accused. Jiao Jin stopped struggling and nodded. “Fine, I lied to you. But even if it’s not a dream, you shouldn’t be holding onto me.”

“Why shouldn’t I? I’m going to punish you.”

“Punish me?”

Jiao Jin almost laughed. She didn’t care about the threat, but she was genuinely curious. Her gaze dropped, resting casually on the nervousness hidden in Cui Yu’s pupils. “How are you going to punish me?”

“I… I…”

She inexplicably lost the courage to make a demand. Seeing the playfulness in Jiao Jin’s eyes made her feel like whatever she said didn’t matter that Jiao Jin was just waiting to see what tricks this “little white rabbit” could pull.

Cui Yu lost the strength to hold on. Her hand dropped, hitting the bed with a muffled thud. “There’s nothing to punish. If you could like me, I’d actually want you to lie to me more.”

Jiao Jin felt an internal discomfort. She hadn’t expected to see an interesting show, instead, she was unsettled by those low, humble words. It felt as if a bottle of acid had been poured into her heart, otherwise, why was she feeling guilty?

Please, this woman was never this much of a “white rabbit” before!

But no matter how her logic fought it, Jiao Jin couldn’t stop the surge of pity for the Cui Yu who had lowered herself into the dust. She coughed twice and dryly handed over the test tube filled with her pheromones. “Here. I accidentally forgot earlier. If you feel uncomfortable over the next few days, open the cap and take a whiff. It’ll help a lot.”

Snow-white fingertips took the tube. Cui Yu’s expression didn’t change, she kept her head down, looking so fragile it was alarming. “Okay. Thank you. You should go now, it’ll get cold late at night.”

“Cough, one more thing. Your sister’s detention ends tomorrow. Remember to go pick her up.”

Before she could say “I don’t have time,” she received a simple “Okay” that felt like she was being shooed away. A sudden streak of rebelliousness rose in Jiao Jin’s heart. Why was it Cui Yu’s turn to kick her out?

“Hey, Cui Yu. Why are you in my room?”

If she was going to feel uncomfortable, she wasn’t going to let the other person in the room have it easy either.

Sure enough, the moment those words were spoken, the woman seemed to catch fire. Everywhere that had been as white as snow flushed a deep crimson. Cui Yu looked up, her gaze mortified, her lips bitten bloodless. “Why haven’t you left yet?”