The Cold And Straight Alpha Is Always Being Flirted With By The Goddess Aunt - Chapter 22

Xi Zhaowan finished her bath and carefully dried her long hair. Steam enveloped her body, and she felt as if she were in a dream. Her mind was filled with images of Yan Qing, that cold, indifferent face and the memory of how she had rejected the dishes Yan Qing had personally cooked for her.

She remembered being in the kitchen before dinner. The young girl had worn a rare, pleasing smile, her warm, white hand tugging at Xi Zhaowan, pleading with her.

“Sister Wan, which dish is your favorite?” the girl had asked obstinately, pulling her toward the kitchen.

“If I like something, will Qing’er make it for me?” She saw the small head in front of her nod vigorously like a chick pecking at grain.

“Yes! As long as you like it.” Yan Qing held her back. “You know… Mother rarely comes back. I’m so happy to have you staying with me.”

It’s just a sense of gratitude, Xi Zhaowan thought, pulling her hand away slightly. “Thank you, Qing’er, but I can cook for myself.”

“Don’t be so distant with me, okay?” Yan Qing pouted, forgetting to use a formal address.

Xi Zhaowan’s heart softened instantly. Why couldn’t she satisfy this child’s need for care from an elder? She was simply afraid of sinking deeper into her own feelings.

“Fine, I’ll teach you.” However, the dish she taught Yan Qing wasn’t her own favorite, nor was it what Yan Qing liked as a child. Instead, it was a dish she had noticed Yan Qing eating most frequently lately.

She always wanted to give everything beautiful to Yan Qing, simply because Qing’er was the most beautiful existence in her life.

The moisture clinging to her long hair mirrored Xi Zhaowan’s own damp, blurred, and embarrassed heart. Hearing a knock at the door, she let out a soft sigh.

When she opened the door, she found Yan Manxing. Amidst a strange sense of disappointment, Xi Zhaowan felt a wave of relief.

“Has Qinghe been giving you trouble lately?” Yan Manxing asked with a smile.

“Qing’er has always been good,” Xi Zhaowan replied. Better than before, even.

“I noticed during dinner that both of you seemed unhappy,” Yan Manxing said, showing a rare moment of concern for Yan Qing. “So I wondered if she did something to upset you.”

“If she did, I’ll have to give her a good talking to.”

“No.” Xi Zhaowan lowered her head, finding it difficult to face Yan Manxing’s probing gaze.

Yan Manxing looked at the hairdryer by Xi Zhaowan’s hand, suppressing the urge to dry that wet hair herself. She cleared her throat and asked, “I heard… the two of you have been sharing a room.”

“Wan’er, it’s not that I want to lecture you,” her tone grew urgent. “Qinghe is a big girl now… She is an Alpha.”

“Don’t you usually dislike Alphas?” Don’t you always prefer to be close to Omegas?

I am an Omega. I should be the one you trust and stay close to, Yan Manxing thought but didn’t dare say aloud. Her voice carried a hint of desperation.

Seeing Xi Zhaowan lost in thought and remaining silent, Yan Manxing couldn’t help herself. She picked up a soft towel and began gently patting the long, flowing hair.

Xi Zhaowan caught her hand, stopping the movement. She pursed her lips and explained, “Qing’er had a nightmare that night. I was just worried about her.”

“She was crying out for her mother in her sleep. I thought… perhaps we usually give her too little care.”

This statement successfully diverted Yan Manxing’s attention. Compared to Xi Zhaowan, she had indeed been negligent in caring for Yan Qing. Feeling a pang of guilt, she rubbed her nose. Xi Zhaowan’s reasoning was plausible, and Yan Manxing felt a strange sense of relief.

She couldn’t bring herself to tell Xi Zhaowan to maintain boundaries with Yan Qing again. Though doubts remained in her heart, she let the matter drop for now.

The Distance Grows

Some time passed. Xi Zhaowan returned to the Yan residence less and less frequently. At first, Yan Qing wasn’t used to it.

“Is Sister Wan coming home today?” Yan Qing texted several times.

Initially, Xi Zhaowan would reply, using excuses like overtime or being busy with work. She thought: If I give her the cold shoulder a few times, she’ll eventually stop asking.

The harsh, cold lights of the laboratory spilled over her pale form. She had grown thinner, her sharp chin accentuating her cold, red lips.

The lab members didn’t dare breathe too loudly. If their leader was dedicated before, her current state could only be described as “desperate.” Even when experiments failed, Xi Zhaowan wouldn’t scold them; she would offer professional advice and then dive back into her own work until late into the night.

Over time, the team felt guilty and began working harder themselves. Sometimes they would see her dazing off while looking at her phone during breaks, the screen staying lit for a long time. Once, a team member passing by to get water noticed it was a messaging interface.

Gossip began to spread that the leader might be going through a breakup. There seemed to be no other reason for her to be so consumed by work to the point of forgetting to eat.

Xi Zhaowan was unaware of the rumors, just as she was unaware of how Yan Qing would react to her coldness. She was afraid of hurting the girl, but even more afraid of falling in love again.

But once a heart is moved, how can it be easily restrained?

An Unexpected Encounter

One day, Xi Zhaowan had to return to the Yan residence to retrieve research notes for the R7 experiment. She remembered bringing them home and, in her distracted state, had left them there.

She specifically chose a time when Yan Qing should have been at school. Driving into the driveway, she felt like a thief sneaking into a familiar home. Entering the house, she resisted the urge to push open the girl’s bedroom door. It should be empty, just like her heart.

Standing on the bright, sunlit balcony, she remembered the moonlit night she and Yan Qing had stood there together.

“Sister Wan, do you think the moon is the same in all worlds?” she heard the girl’s voice in her memory ethereal and distant.

“It’s different. The moon is the same for every country, but for different planets, it must be different,” Xi Zhaowan had answered. “On some planets, you might not see a moon at all.”

“I wonder if there’s a place where the moon is bigger and rounder,” Yan Qing had tilted her head, pointing. “Brighter than the moon in this world.”

“There is,” Xi Zhaowan smiled. “That would surely be the moon of one’s hometown.”

“The moon is brighter in one’s hometown…” Hearing this, the girl had fallen silent for a long time, looking at the moon with a soft, nostalgic face.

At that moment, Xi Zhaowan felt Yan Qing was very far away. Even standing right beside her, she felt unreachable.

The Cup

The steam from a white porcelain cup blurred Xi Zhaowan’s eyes. She set it on the table and prepared to leave, not realizing the front door was opening.

A cool, clear voice filled with surprise hit her: “Sister Wan! You’re back?”

Xi Zhaowan stammered, “No… I…” She was just there for files. She had to leave, better to leave now without lingering.

Yan Qing happened to have an inter-school event that day. Since she hadn’t signed up for any performances, she had slipped away early, never expecting this surprise at home.

After not seeing Xi Zhaowan for so long, Yan Qing hadn’t fully adjusted to her absence. Initially, she felt a deep sense of loss, especially during her cultivation, when her body would automatically trigger memories of those two nights shared with Xi Zhaowan. She missed her dearly.

Xi Zhaowan was as beautiful as ever, though a bit thinner, making her eyes look even more moving, like autumn pools.

The steam from the porcelain cup had died down, the water was now room temperature. Having just come in from outside, Yan Qing’s throat was dry. She picked up the cup from the table and drank it all down in one go.

She drank hurriedly, and when she finished, her lips were dyed a bright red. Seeing this, Xi Zhaowan stared at the rim of the cup, at the lipstick mark she had left there.

Yan Qing had placed her lips exactly where Xi Zhaowan’s had been.

Yan Qing’s lips were now moist and red, stained with the exact shade of the D-series lipstick Xi Zhaowan was wearing.

Xi Zhaowan’s earlobes turned red. She looked down and then up again as Yan Qing’s mouth moved, telling her about trivial school matters.

When did this little Alpha I raised become so radiant and moving?

The memories of their time together felt like the dissipating steam from the cup, the vapor was gone, but the heat remained pressed against her chest. She could no longer hear what Yan Qing was saying. Her heart was hooked by that smear of red, thumping wildly against her ribs.

Unlike that night of moon gazing, she felt that she had never been this close to Yan Qing before.