The Cold And Straight Alpha Is Always Being Flirted With By The Goddess Aunt - Chapter 25

Yan Qing was trapped in a long, lingering dream. In it, Xi Zhaowan held her close, begging her to stay, pleading with her not to leave. Yet, she still departed, leaving only a resolute silhouette for the woman behind her. Inside, her heart wept tears she could not explain.

A week had passed since her last visit to Xi Zhaowan’s home. Yan Qing touched her own scent gland. It had been a long time since Ji Qianqian’s temporary marking; those pheromones had long since faded, replaced entirely by the scent of Xi Zhaowan.

“Mark me, alright…?” Xi Zhaowan had whispered to her. Without waiting for consent, amidst Yan Qing’s stunned silence, she had proactively and passionately marked her.

The day she returned home, Yan Qing had taken leave from school. She washed herself in a hot bath, the water sliding over her body and turning into a thick mist. She inhaled deeply, wondering in a daze if even the steam had been dyed with the fragrance of white gardenias.

It took several days for the red traces of that night of reckless abandon to fade constant reminders of just how dissolute she had been.

Finally, the words the woman spoke that day surfaced in her mind, allowing her to truly chew over their meaning:

“I don’t blame you. It was I who developed feelings I shouldn’t have.”

Had she… actually fallen for her?

Or had she always felt this way toward Yan Qinghe?

No! She immediately denied the thought. Forcing herself to calm down, she reviewed their meeting and acquaintance, as well as the words Xi Zhaowan had spoken during the lecture.

Xi Zhaowan had said she was becoming better and better, and that she admired her more and more. At the time, sitting in the audience, Yan Qing hadn’t understood. Only now, dissecting the words, did she discover the confession hidden behind the guise of “admiration.”

Under the eyes of the entire faculty and student body, Xi Zhaowan had declared her love to the world under the name of appreciation.

Therefore, the person Xi Zhaowan loved was the “her” who had traveled into Yan Qinghe’s body, not the original Yan Qinghe.

An unexpected sweetness flooded her heart. A smile spread across Yan Qing’s face before she even realized it, though she quickly scrunched her face back up.

Was I just smiling? Yan Qing pulled at the corners of her mouth, pressing her lips tight. She realized deep down how foolish such an action was hardly becoming of a Sect Master who was nearly a hundred years old.

Sigh!

Her actions that day must have hurt Xi Zhaowan. She had left so hurriedly, so guiltily. Yan Qing frowned, tapping her brow yet, she couldn’t offer an immediate response.

She was destined to leave this ABO world and return to her original Light Spirit Continent. If Xi Zhaowan ever knew that their few instances of “dual cultivation” had indirectly accelerated her cultivation, she wondered what the woman would think.

Indeed, after that night, her pheromones had stabilized significantly, no longer surfacing to cause chaos during her spiritual practice. Furthermore, Xi Zhaowan’s constitution complemented hers perfectly. The exchange and replenishment of spiritual energy between them had cleared her Root Chakra, she had successfully entered the Golden Light Stage.

After meditating for so long without progress, a few moments of intimacy with Xi Zhaowan had unexpectedly achieved her goal. Yan Qing smiled bitterly; fate truly worked in mysterious ways.

She had tentatively sent a text asking, “Are you okay?” but received no reply.

That was only natural. A reply would have been the strange thing. It was already a mercy that Xi Zhaowan hadn’t severed ties with her entirely.

For the first time in her life, she experienced inner conflict and torment.

Her life had always been focused solely on the goal of ascending to immortality. For a hundred years, her entire existence revolved around cultivation.

Emotions were entirely foreign to her, and the “Way of Perceiving Emotion” she practiced was, at its core, designed to renounce earthly love.

To abandon her Great Path for Xi Zhaowan even if she was momentarily infatuated, would be a great irresponsibility toward Xi Zhaowan if she were to feel regret or resentment later.

Moreover, they were separated by generational gaps, the soul-traveling secret, and a host of external issues.

If she stayed with Xi Zhaowan, she didn’t know who Yan Manxing would be angrier at. She wasn’t worried about her own reputation as the “scum” of the four great families, but how would Xi Zhaowan handle it?

Falling for a junior she had looked after like a daughter… that alone was enough for public scorn to drown her. Yet, Xi Zhaowan had confessed anyway.

She was truly brave. Thinking of this, Yan Qing’s eyes darkened.

Sitting in front of her, Zhang Siyu felt something was off. Usually, Yan Qing either slept during class or sat in a semi-meditative daze. Lately, her gaze was constantly drifting either staring blankly at the blackboard or at the back of Zhang Siyu’s head.

Zhang Siyu rubbed the back of her head. Was there something special about her skull? It felt like Yan Qing was about to burn a hole through it.

“You are acting very weird!” Zhang Siyu said after class, resting her hand on Yan Qing’s desk. “You look like you’re heartbroken. Come on, spill…did Miss Ji reject you for good?”

“Where is this coming from?” Yan Qing was speechless, but with her internal misery having no outlet, she muttered vaguely, “Tell me… if there were a feeling that was not tolerated by the world, what would you do?”

“Ah! You haven’t had a change of heart and fallen for some Alpha, have you?” Zhang Siyu’s mind raced through the possibilities, her eyes widening in shock.

“No. If a person is destined to leave this world very soon, it wouldn’t be right for them to casually accept someone else’s love, would it?” Yan Qing asked hypothetically.

“Leaving the world soon… so you mean a terminal illness,” Zhang Siyu “understood” again. “If you love someone deeply, even if you know they don’t have long to live, you’d want to cherish the final moments with them.”

“Because compared to parting, the greater fear is never having loved at all.”

Seeing Yan Qing raise her brows in deep thought, Zhang Siyu felt that the AO romance novels she read in private were finally coming in handy.

But at that moment, a bigger thought popped into her head, Something is definitely up with Yan Qing!

This suspicion was magnified at lunch when she saw Yan Qing and Su Fang sitting together in the cafeteria.

Yan Qing was gripping Su Fang’s arm, shaking it slightly, only for Su Fang to brush her off playfully with a coquettish, feigned glare.

A triangular drama involving falling for her goddess’s best friend rapidly took shape in Zhang Siyu’s overactive imagination…

In reality, Yan Qing had simply bumped into Su Fang. For some reason, seeing that Ji Qianqian wasn’t by Su Fang’s side made Yan Qing breathe a sigh of relief.

She hadn’t delved into her spiritual sea to check on the original Yan Qinghe for a long time. She didn’t know if the girl had returned to sleep or if she would wake up the moment she contacted Ji Qianqian and hear things she shouldn’t.

After all, the fundamental ownership of this body belonged to Yan Qinghe; she was merely a temporary borrower.

Su Fang was relaxed and natural around Yan Qing. Ever since Yan Qing had saved her, and after several meals together plus the original’s “history of treating her to food” she treated Yan Qing with the familiarity of a second best friend.

If Qianqian were here, it would be even more fun. Unfortunately, as a core member of the dance troupe, Ji Qianqian had been called for an extra rehearsal by the teacher and would likely arrive late.

However, Yan Qing was very silent today, her expression faint. Su Fang resorted to digging up gossip to liven up the atmosphere.

Inevitably, the conversation turned to Xi Zhaowan.

“Qinghe, I heard that during the lecture last time, Senior Xi mentioned she was single.” Su Fang peeled a small shrimp, her tone becoming excited. “But I bet she won’t be for long.”

“Single no longer?” Yan Qing frowned. You’re talking about Wan-jie, how is that possible?

“Yeah, the young master of the Wei family has been pursuing Senior Xi for a while now. He’s been sending flowers for nearly a month.” It was common knowledge among the four families. Su Fang didn’t think it was news. “The surprising part is that Senior Xi seems to have agreed. A couple of days ago, they were seen dining together at the Four Seasons Restaurant.”

The Four Seasons was one of the chains owned by Ji Qianqian’s family. Su Fang added, “Even Qianqian saw them several times.”

Yan Qing didn’t eat a single bite of her meal. Hearing this, she pushed her tray aside. A complex cocktail of loss, anxiety, restlessness, and gloom surged within her.

She grabbed Su Fang’s arm and demanded in a strained voice, “Is what you’re saying true?”

“What’s true or false? Su Fang, what did you say to make her so agitated?” Ji Qianqian, having just removed her dance attire, arrived wearing a knee length skirt and a puffy off the shoulder top. Her snowy back was slick with a healthy sheen of sweat.

Youthful and vibrant, she was surprised to see Yan Qing so out of character. She narrowed her eyes as she walked past their seats. Before sitting down, her fingers brushed over Yan Qing’s scent-blocking patch, teasingly squeezing her gland.

Based on Ji Qianqian’s understanding of Yan Qing, she would either enjoy the flirtation or reject it out of embarrassment.

But neither happened. Yan Qing ignored her completely, like a wooden statue, only turning back to Su Fang for confirmation.

Understanding the context, Ji Qianqian couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Isn’t it normal for Senior Xi to find someone?”

“Not to mention a union between the Yan and Wei families is beneficial in every way. Wei Weizhi is a top-tier Alpha with both wealth and beauty. It would be abnormal if Senior Xi didn’t feel something!”

Besides, whether Xi Zhaowan was single or not, what did it have to do with Yan Qing?

“Excuse me, I’m full. Please excuse me.”

Ji and Su watched in bewilderment as Yan Qing, who hadn’t touched a bite, threw out a cold sentence and walked away.

“She’s full without eating?” Su Fang asked.

“Probably full of your gossip.” Ji Qianqian’s voice lacked its usual energy as she pondered something.

“I didn’t say much. I thought she already knew.” Su Fang pouted. Was such a big reaction necessary?

“Qinghe… seems to care a lot about Aunt Wan.” The spoon in Ji Qianqian’s hand accidentally slipped, much like the Yan Qing who was escaping her control, leaving her confused, lost, and dejected.

“When it rains, it pours when a mother wants to remarry, she will.” Su Fang’s clever brain turned, reaching a conclusion. “It’s like when my mom divorced my dad and remarried, it’s natural to feel uncomfortable at first.”

“After all, Senior Xi is the one who raised her.” Su Fang “understood” yet again.

Ji Qianqian seemed to accept this explanation. She covered her mouth and let out a scoffing laugh. “Heh, it’s not like Yan Qinghe hasn’t been weaned.” Does she need to be that sensitive?

Yan Qing was indeed “weaned,” but having tasted the “Source of Derivation,”

And having had Xi Zhaowan’s pheromones injected into her neck,

The mere thought of the possibility of someone else taking her place triggered a possessive urge from her Alpha body, causing her recently stabilized pheromones to spiral out of control.

Furthermore, after an incomplete marking of an Omega by an Alpha, the Alpha becomes particularly dependent on that Omega for the following week or two.

Add to that the fact that she and Xi Zhaowan had shared the intimacy of dual cultivation… The thought of the spiritual energy belonging to her within Xi Zhaowan being touched by another made Yan Qing want to immediately activate her Golden Light Stage power and sprint over to stop Xi Zhaowan’s date.

No one else is allowed.