The Alpha’s Hidden Marriage, Public Obsession - Chapter 72.4

Perhaps due to the hormonal imbalances from pregnancy, Jiang Xue not only felt hollow inside but also increasingly irritable. Her thoughts began to spiral.

Had Lin Yulan grown tired of her? Was she angry that Jiang Xue hadn’t replied to her emails and had gone back to those other Omegas, abandoning her?

Otherwise, why would Lin Yulan, who had emailed her every day before, suddenly stop?

The more Jiang Xue thought about it, the more agitated she became. Convinced she might have missed something, she scrolled further down the inbox. But after checking thoroughly, she only felt more disappointed. Her thoughts spiraled further until she finally broke down in tears.

All those declarations of love were lies!

All those promises of wanting only her in this lifetime were lies too!

Even the vow to change for the better, all of it was fake!

Had it really been so short a time before impatience set in?

Curled up by the headboard, Jiang Xue’s shoulders trembled as she sobbed, her cries growing louder.

Just then, she suddenly heard the sound of a car engine outside. Thinking it might be Chu Yuan and her friends returning, Jiang Xue worried they’d see her in such a pitiful state. She wiped her tears, forced down the ache in her heart, and got up to go downstairs.

Since she was alone at home, Jiang Xue didn’t dare open the door recklessly. Instead, she peeked out the window to confirm whether it was indeed Chu Yuan and her friends. But what she saw made her freeze.

The person who had returned wasn’t Chu Yuan.

It was Lin Yulan.

Jiang Xue’s heart suddenly raced wildly, pounding like a frantic deer, nearly making her faint.

Why was Lin Yulan here?

Was she hallucinating?

Jiang Xue found it hard to believe. Rubbing her eyes, she realized she wasn’t seeing things Lin Yulan was truly standing outside her dorm.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Xue wrapped herself in her thickest wool coat and cautiously walked downstairs. Lin Yulan had just stepped out of her car, bundled in a heavy down jacket with a scarf around her neck. Her shoulder-length hair was tousled by the cold wind, but she paid it no mind, simply shaking it off before standing still.

At first, she didn’t notice Jiang Xue standing at the doorway of the house. She had only intended to stand there and glance up at the building, knowing Jiang Xue would never realize she had come knowing the snow would soon erase all traces of her visit. But when she looked up, she froze, stunned to see Jiang Xue standing right across from her.

Neither of them moved toward the other immediately. They simply stood a few meters apart, staring at one another.

The heavy snow continued to fall, settling on Lin Yulan’s hair and long eyelashes, nearly obscuring her vision.

Finally, worried that Jiang Xue might catch a cold standing in the doorway, Lin Yulan took the first step forward, closing the distance between them.

“Why are you standing out here? Waiting for someone?”

Jiang Xue didn’t answer, staring straight at her for a long moment before replying, “I should be the one asking you that. Why are you here?”

Not wanting to add to Jiang Xue’s emotional burden, Lin Yulan lied, “I have a project nearby, so I thought I’d drop by to see you.”

“Liar.”

Lin Yulan hadn’t expected Jiang Xue to call her out so bluntly. She was taken aback but quickly lowered her head in admission. “You’re right. I lied. The company has no business here. I just wanted to see you.”

In the two months since Jiang Xue had been gone, Lin Yulan felt like she was losing her mind. She barely went anywhere, just stayed in the office every day. When the pain became unbearable, she drowned herself in alcohol until she passed out.

But even in her dreams, she was haunted by the fear that Jiang Xue might leave her for good. Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore, if this continued, she really would go insane. So she had her assistant book her a flight.

“I… I’m sorry.” Under Jiang Xue’s unwavering gaze, Lin Yulan felt utterly ashamed. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave soon. I won’t make you uncomfortable!”

“Why didn’t you send an email today?”

“What?”

Jiang Xue paused, then repeated, “Why didn’t you send an email today?”

Lin Yulan hurried to explain, “I did write one! But I was swamped yesterday and didn’t get a chance to send it. Then I had to rush to catch my flight, so the email’s still sitting in my drafts. I’m not making excuses, I really did write it! My assistant can vouch for me!”

Hearing this, half of Jiang Xue’s resentment dissipated. She murmured softly, “Oh.”

Only then did Lin Yulan realize Jiang Xue had been reading all those emails. She hadn’t been ignoring her!

“I…”

“If there’s nothing else, you can go now.”

This time, Lin Yulan didn’t hesitate. She turned and walked away.

Jiang Xue gritted her teeth and shouted after her, “Lin Yulan, you bastard, stop right there!”

She really just left like that? Couldn’t she have held on a little longer? What if Jiang Xue had relented?!

However, before her words could even settle, Lin Yulan turned around with lightning speed and immediately threw herself into a hug. “Xiaoxue, I knew you couldn’t bear to see me leave, I just knew it!”

Jiang Xue: “…” So this bastard’s resolute departure had all been an act!

“You did that on purpose!” Jiang Xue pushed her away slightly, glaring fiercely.

“That’s right, I absolutely did it on purpose.” Lin Yulan grabbed her hand and asked, “Then, Professor Jiang, will you forgive me?”

Looking at Lin Yulan’s exhausted face, dark circles, and overall haggard appearance, Jiang Xue knew she wasn’t lying. Her heart couldn’t help but soften. “What do you think?”

Lin Yulan put on an innocent expression. “Professor Jiang hasn’t said it out loud, so how would I know what you’re thinking?”

Here we go again.

This bastard was absolutely doing it on purpose! She just wanted Jiang Xue to say everything out loud so she could gloat about it later!

“What is Professor Jiang thinking?”

Lin Yulan leaned in, gently nibbling Jiang Xue’s ear before teasing her delicate earlobe with her tongue, deliberately asking, “What’s on Professor Jiang’s mind? Hmm?”

Jiang Xue’s entire body tingled from the playful bites and licks, her limbs growing weak until she could barely stand. Unable to take it anymore, she gritted her teeth and said, “Fine, I forgive you! Happy now?”

“Really?” Lin Yulan slowly trailed downward from her ear, nuzzling against her fragrant neck. “Professor Jiang, you can’t take back your words once they’re spoken.”

Jiang Xue clenched her jaw, forced to concede. “A promise is a promise, you bastard! Stop rubbing against me!”

Lin Yulan lifted her head, staring at Jiang Xue’s flushed face, and asked with feigned innocence, “Why? Why can’t I?”

Jiang Xue knew she was being deliberately obtuse. Furious, she raised her hand to strike.

But before her hand could land, Lin Yulan caught it. Then, Jiang Xue watched as Lin Yulan lowered her head, rummaging through her pocket before pulling out a small red box and presenting it to her.

“Xiaoxue, I’ve never actually told you that I love you. On the plane, I kept thinking maybe it’s because I never properly confessed or proposed that I ended up deserving all that.” Lin Yulan gently lowered Jiang Xue’s hand, then knelt on one knee, opening the ring box with a smile. “I love you, Xiaoxue. I want to spend my whole life with you, and I’ll spend the rest of my days making it up to you. Will you accept this?”

It was a 10-carat DR diamond ring, its band clearly custom-designed, engraved with the pinyin of Jiang Xue’s Chinese name.

And as Jiang Xue knew, DR rings required a waiting list even for VIP clients. Which meant Lin Yulan had arranged for this ring long ago.

“When did you order this?”

Lin Yulan hesitated before answering truthfully, “The day after your heat cycle.”

So early?

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

” I was afraid you’d refuse, so I secretly measured your finger size and had it custom-made.”

Lin Yulan, worried Jiang Xue might reject her, pressed anxiously, “So, Xiaoxue will you accept it?”

Instead of answering, Jiang Xue countered, “If I do, does that mean I’ll be the one in charge at home from now on?”

Lin Yulan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded without hesitation.

“From now on, your money is my money. Your bank cards and passbooks are all under my control.”

“Under your control!”

“If I tell you to go east, you can’t go west.”

“I promise not to go west!”

“You have to write me love letters of several thousand words every day, and keep writing until I’m satisfied.”

“Several thousand words. Teacher Jiang, can we reduce the word count a bit?”

Lin Yulan had already endured enough of the terror of being dominated by various essays during her school days. Now, being forced to write so many words every day felt even more cruel than death.

Jiang Xue shot her a fierce glare: “Do you agree or not?!”

“Teacher Jiang is the head of the household, whatever you say goes!” Lin Yulan said with a bright smile. “So, may I now put the ring on the beautiful, charming, and considerate Teacher Jiang?”

Only then did Jiang Xue give a satisfied hum, somewhat shyly extending her hand slowly.

Lin Yulan took the ring from the box and carefully slipped it onto Jiang Xue’s finger. Then, still kneeling on one knee, she pressed a deep kiss to the spot on Jiang Xue’s left ring finger.

The snow gradually lightened, turning into scattered flakes drifting down, like a special witness dancing around the two as they embraced.

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