The Fox Spirit Survived as an Alpha by Consuming Pheromones - Chapter 4

It was only after the fact that Bai Muqin realized how ice-cold Jiang Li’s skin was. The touch sent an involuntary shiver through her.

“And you’re saying you aren’t cold? Your hands feel like they’ve just come out of a freezer.” Cold-faced, she pulled her feet from Jiang Li’s embrace and pointed toward the transparent glass door in the room. “Go in and take a hot shower.”

Jiang Li’s face fell. Remembering her recent scrubbing, she looked at Bai Muqin with a wronged expression. “It hurts. And there’s mud.” As a fox spirit, she used to clean herself with minor spells; the concept of a “bath” being a painful ordeal that produced streaks of “mud” (grime) was something she found utterly unacceptable and revolting.

At first, Bai Muqin didn’t catch her meaning. Then she recalled her instructions to Auntie Zhao: “Make sure you scrub her clean.” She let out a soft, involuntary laugh. “That was because you were too dirty then, so they had to scrub hard. Now you’re clean. You just need to rinse your body with warm water. It won’t hurt, and there won’t be any mud.”

Jiang Li nodded obediently. But when Bai Muqin asked if she knew how to shower by herself, she shook her head again. In the fragmented memories of the body’s original owner, she couldn’t find a single instance of showering alone; there always seemed to be someone waiting on her.

Bai Muqin considered calling Auntie Zhao to help, but fearing it would trigger Jiang Li’s “trauma” again, she decided against it and led the girl into the walk-in shower herself.

“Turn it this way for hot, that way for cold. Test it yourself first and wait until the temperature is right before you step in.” Bai Muqin finished her explanation and turned around, only to find Jiang Li already standing behind her stark naked, looking perfectly composed.

Bai Muqin’s face flushed hot. Her eyes darted away, but not before she’d inadvertently taken in the view: skin so smooth and delicate it looked like it would bruise at a touch, a firm stomach without a trace of fat, and a physique better developed than the average Alpha. Her legs were long and straight, a perfect silhouette.

Faced with such a sight, a flurry of heart-racing, scandalous thoughts flooded Bai Muqin’s mind. She hurriedly averted her gaze, hiding her inner turmoil behind a mask of coldness. “Why are you already naked? Haven’t you any shame, standing like that in front of someone?”

Jiang Li’s eyes curved into a smile. “Master isn’t ‘someone.’ A-Li belongs to Master, so I’m not ashamed.”

She spoke with such sincerity and her eyes were so pure that Bai Muqin felt a fleeting pang of guilt for her own unspeakable thoughts. But the feeling vanished as quickly as it came. Perhaps it was because A-Li was so pure that she didn’t feel the usual urge to push her away. For the first time, she didn’t feel that physical revulsion. A thought struck her: Should I just let things take their natural course, even if it goes beyond what I planned? Since presenting as an Omega at fifteen, she had suffered through every heat. At first, suppressants worked, but her body had developed a stubborn resistance to them. Dr. Zhou had issued a final warning: no more suppressants. She had tried finding Alphas to help, but every attempt ended in violent rejection, until A-Li.

“Master? What are you thinking about?”

Bai Muqin snapped back to reality and nudged Jiang Li toward the water.

Following what she’d just learned, Jiang Li turned on the showerhead but was immediately blasted by a spray of cold water. She let out a sharp shiver.

Bai Muqin pressed a hand to her forehead and pulled her out from under the stream. “Didn’t I tell you to wait for the temperature to be right? Test it with your hand first.”

Jiang Li stood there like a drenched pup, hanging her head contritely. Fortunately, the water warmed up in seconds. As the hot water cascaded down her graceful curves, she let out a small, satisfied hum. Just as she was about to share her delight with Bai Muqin, she saw the woman beat a hasty retreat, looking almost as if she were fleeing.

Estimating that Jiang Li was about finished, Bai Muqin brought some fresh clothes into the bathroom. To her surprise, Jiang Li was already done and had pulled her pajamas back on. The problem was that she hadn’t dried herself at all. The damp fabric clung to her skin, translucent and revealing, an accidental “wet t-shirt” look that was far more provocative than total nudity.

“Master, I’m all clean!” Jiang Li trotted to Bai Muqin’s side and nuzzled her arm affectionately, like a kitten waiting for a pat.

Bai Muqin’s throat felt dry. She gave a couple of forced coughs and reached out to ruffle Jiang Li’s damp hair. “After a shower, you have to dry your body before putting on clothes,” she sighed.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Li whipped the pajama top off. She looked down at herself and gave a silly grin. “Master, I’m dry now. Do I still need to wipe?”

Bai Muqin shoved a pile of clothes into Jiang Li’s arms. “Get dressed yourself!” she blurted out before running out of the room again.

Jiang Li held the clothes up one by one, trying to identify them. Her basic common sense was still intact; she managed the pants easily enough. But when it came to the bra, she hit a wall. Her fingers were clumsy, and she couldn’t reach the hooks behind her.

Consequently, Bai Muqin was greeted by the sight of Jiang Li running out for help: her pants were on but unzipped, and the bra was merely draped over her front, failing to cover much of anything and bouncing slightly as she moved.

Bai Muqin was speechless. Any lingering suspicion that this girl was a calculating “Scum Alpha” vanished. She really is just a complete idiot, she thought.

She had to step in and help her into the garment. Her fingertips brushed against soft, warm skin, making her heart hammer and her cheeks burn.

The scent of passion fruit in the air suddenly sharpened. Bai Muqin realized she was going into heat again—triggered by A-Li’s unintentional, repeated provocations.

Before she could say a word, Jiang Li lunged forward with excitement, her eyes sparkling. She swallowed hard, clearly impatient, yet she still mindfully asked for permission: “Master, can I have my breakfast now?”

Bai Muqin’s breath hitched. She looked at Jiang Li with eyes clouded by desire, her body burning. When she heard the question, the last string of her self-control snapped. Without a word, she pulled the girl into her arms.

Jiang Li still had tiny droplets of water on her skin; as they evaporated, they left her skin cool to the touch. Bai Muqin leaned into that coolness and let out a low, raspy moan. “You can.”

Jiang Li pressed her nose against Bai Muqin’s gland, nuzzling gently before taking a deep, satisfied breath. The passion fruit scent was intoxicating. As the pheromones entered her system, more memory fragments from the original owner surfaced, clearing the fog in Jiang Li’s mind. She ignored the memories for now, focusing entirely on the “meal.”

The cool tip of Jiang Li’s nose brushed the sensitive gland, contrasted by her warm breath. The alternating sensations made Bai Muqin tremble; if Jiang Li hadn’t been holding her, she likely wouldn’t have been able to stand.

She slumped weakly into Jiang Li’s arms. A part of her craved more, but she bit her lip hard, the pain helping her maintain a sliver of sanity. Fortunately, this was just a lingering “aftershock” of her heat. Within a few minutes, the scent began to fade.

Jiang Li licked her lips, looking like she wanted more. For a “breakfast,” however, it was just the right amount.

Downstairs, breakfast was already on the table. Qin Nian was munching on a fried dough stick. Noting that Bai Muqin was late, she headed upstairs to check.

The master bedroom was empty. She peeked into the guest room and nearly jumped out of her skin. The two of them were huddled together in a state of undress specifically, the kidnapped “A-Li” was stripped down to her bra.

Qin Nian was floored. Stunned, she quietly pulled the door shut. She let out a soft “Tsk.” Who would have thought the prim and proper Sister Mu would be this thirsty first thing in the morning? Usually, no matter how bad the heat was, she’d kick any Alpha out of the room.

Qin Nian had never understood why Bai Muqin was so averse to intimacy. At first, she thought she was just a romantic saving herself for her childhood sweetheart. But after seeing her fail attempt after attempt and finally seeing a psychologist, Qin Nian realized it was a psychological block, a reflex that caused her to vomit or become violent. Seeing Alphas get beaten and thrown out had become a sad but recurring comedy.

Initially, Qin Nian had looked down on A-Li. The girl was a nobody with a mysterious past. But seeing that she could not only stop the heat but also bypass Bai Muqin’s physical rejection, Qin Nian felt a surge of gratitude. Without A-Li, her sister would be driven mad by her own biology.

As she was pondering this, the door opened and the two of them walked out. Qin Nian blurted out instinctively, “Sis, that was fast.”

Bai Muqin ignored her and walked straight downstairs. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

Jiang Li looked curiously at Qin Nian, recognizing her as the person who had brought her into the room yesterday. She’d talked a lot, but Jiang Li had been too hungry to listen then. She gave Qin Nian a small smile and followed Bai Muqin.

Following behind them, Qin Nian felt something was off. She studied Jiang Li closely and realized what it was: A-Li looked… better. She was clearly the same person, but she seemed to have undergone a complete transformation overnight.

Can one night of ‘bliss’ really change someone that much? she wondered. She leaned toward Bai Muqin. “Sis, have you noticed? A-Li looks a lot prettier than yesterday.”

Bai Muqin gave a noncommittal nod as she helped Jiang Li into a chair. “So you noticed too?”

Qin Nian looked at Jiang Li, raised an eyebrow, and joked, “A-Li, are you some kind of fox spirit in disguise?”

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