The Second Fall - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Really Don’t Want Sister Anymore?

Lan Cixing felt a scream of alarm in her heart. She scrambled to grab her phone, desperately trying to turn off the voice message she had accidentally triggered. In her haste, she slid into the chat interface, repeatedly exiting and entering; the voice message played intermittently. With every word that played, Lan Cixing’s heart beat faster. Finally, with trembling fingers, she cleared the background apps.

In her frantic haste, the phone slipped and fell to the floor. However, the voice message had finished playing.

— Ignored me for a whole day. You really don’t want Sister anymore?

Lan Cixing heard it with absolute clarity. She could even recall the hook at the end of An Yu’s tone, a tease that made one’s heart flutter. Not to mention Lan Baian, whose attention had already been snared and who was now listening with tenfold focus.

But for a moment, Lan Baian had no more reprimands to give. The voice in that message clearly didn’t match An Yu’s. Lan Baian had called An Yu every day before and truly liked this online partner; she was familiar with her voice. It hadn’t been so long that she would forget and misjudge, right? Besides, when she deleted the game, she told An Yu she was going to study and wouldn’t be talking for a while. Even if her sister inherited the account, she shouldn’t be speaking with An Yu.

Maybe she just misread the contact name.

Lan Baian shot a suspicious glance at Lan Cixing, only to see her usually stoic sister with ears flushed bright red, her eyes filled with frantic bloodshot veins and a hint of tears. It didn’t look like the panic of being caught chatting with a sister’s online date; it looked more like the bashfulness of being caught in an illicit underground romance.

Lan Baian suddenly realized. She knew her sister had an “O”! And from the sound of it, a mature, charming “Big Sister” type at that!

Lan Baian’s expression shifted to one of gossip. Lan Cixing was reliable in every other aspect, but when it came to romance, even her younger sister had to show some concern.

“Eat… cough… eat your food.” Lan Cixing finally regained her composure, pressing her burning ears and wiping the moisture from the corners of her eyes. Her fingertips still bore an uncontrollable tremor, and her breathing was heavy and ragged. Yet, her tone was a command that brooked no argument. Having been half a mother to Lan Baian for so many years, Lan Cixing still held that authority.

Lan Baian instinctively picked up her chopsticks and shoved a mouthful of food into her mouth. Lan Cixing was about to breathe a sigh of relief and pick up her phone when Lan Baian put her chopsticks down again, her eyes shining with unusual brilliance.

“Sis! I knew you had an ‘O’! Don’t worry, I’ll support you.”

Joking aside, her sister’s gossip was far more interesting than supper. Lan Baian almost leaned over the table to wag her tail at Lan Cixing.

Lan Cixing pressed her back with a palm. “What ‘O’? Don’t talk nonsense.” That An Yu was a “Scumbag Alpha”! She wasn’t sincerely dating her. She felt she hadn’t disciplined Lan Baian enough lately.

“Sis~” Lan Baian giggled at her. It wasn’t like she hadn’t heard that voice message; what was there to be shy about? Lan Baian was about to say so, but then remembered her sister’s special situation and organized her words carefully.

“That… Sis. That incident was four years ago, after all.” She wanted to comfort Lan Cixing.

But as soon as “four years ago” was mentioned, Lan Cixing visibly shuddered. Lan Baian’s voice grew weaker. “We all know it was an accident. You and Sister Rongrong were clearly both willing… Sis, are you still obsessed over it? Auntie and I have been very worried about you.”

Lan Baian had said these words more than once. Lan Cixing understood them all. But she just didn’t want to engage in marking again, didn’t want to date; she had moved on in other ways and was living normally. Why couldn’t they respect her choice?

“You have so much to say—are your practice problems finished?” Lan Cixing didn’t want to be so harsh, so she changed the subject.

“Sis, I’m serious. Don’t let the past bind you.” Lan Baian was getting a bit anxious. She looked into Lan Cixing’s eyes. They had similar eye shapes and colors, but she lacked Lan Cixing’s sharpness. Under Lan Cixing’s cold gaze, Lan Baian lowered her head and fell silent.

“Finish eating and go back to your room to do your problems.” Lan Cixing’s palm landed heavily but patted Lan Baian’s head gently.

Lan Baian pouted and finished her supper quickly, feeling somewhat dejected. She could see her sister cared very much. She had to think of a way.

After returning to her room, Lan Baian quickly summarized her mistakes for the day and earned half an hour of phone time. Rarely, she didn’t open game forums or short video apps; instead, she clicked into the chat with her Aunt.

“Auntie! My sister is brooding over the incident from four years ago again! I saw a tiny spark of hope, but she’s about to cut it off!”

Auntie’s reply was very supportive. “That won’t do. Is she seeing someone?”

Lan Baian quickly filed a report, her typing speed much faster than when she played ranked games. “Absolutely! I heard someone send her a message today, calling themselves ‘Sister.’ The voice was beautiful, and they were complaining that she was ignoring them.”

Auntie sent an “OK” emoji. “Leave it to me. We’ll definitely get her into a relationship this time.”

Lan Baian’s mood turned pleasant again. She sent some cat emojis to her Aunt and went to check game news. No time to play, but there was always time for gossip.

Lan Cixing returned to her room, tossed her phone on the desk, and then dove onto the bed, burying her face in the blanket and taking deep breaths. The old scent of laundry detergent slowly covered her body, masking the white tea scent in her mind. Lan Cixing finally felt some sense of security and lifted her head to exhale.

Originally, she really was about to move on. But today she was caught by Rong Yushu again. It was inevitable to start becoming curious about Rong Yushu’s reactions and thoughts.

About the incident four years ago… she was very sorry. She hoped Rong Yushu didn’t mind, but for any Omega, that kind of thing would be unforgivable, right? A marking is different from simple sex; how could it be planted so easily? Especially since she and Rong Yushu had no romantic connection at the time—they were actually rivals at each other’s throats.

Moreover, there were all those reports. Rong Yushu was like a “lotus rising from the mud” in the entertainment industry; with the Rong family protecting her, she had zero scandals since her debut. Her first “peach-colored” news was with a “low-grade Alpha” like her—no money, no power, and a broken family. One had to know that Rong Yushu’s suitors included princesses from other countries. If she were Rong Yushu’s sister, she would have ordered a ban too.

Lan Cixing calmed her emotions for a while. Regardless, she was still working under Rong Yushu and needed the money. If she couldn’t adjust, she and Lan Baian would be starving the month after next.

Lan Cixing picked up her phone again. Rong Yushu hadn’t sent her tomorrow’s itinerary yet. She checked and found no trending topics related to her. Only then did she reluctantly click into the chat with An Yu.

An Yu had made her look foolish in front of Lan Baian and almost exposed her. Lan Cixing vented her displeasure by poking An Yu’s profile picture—the one she had copied. This directly poked An Yu online.

Lan Cixing saw An Yu’s newly changed “Nudge” status and was speechless; she quickly withdrew her poke. An Yu sent over a screenshot.

“Baby, you missed Sister that much? Poked me so many times.”

The screenshot showed five nudges, along with An Yu’s custom status: Little Blue Sky poked your shoulder and held you while kissing your ear.

“Were you busy before? Offline all day.” While Lan Cixing was expressing her disdain internally, An Yu sent a new message.

Lan Cixing rolled her eyes. A “Scumbag Alpha” is a scumbag—no patience, no respect for a partner’s private space. Just half a day offline, and there were 99+ notifications and voice messages. She really wanted to flirt that badly.

[My phone was confiscated today.] But Lan Cixing still obediently explained the reason for being offline. She didn’t say who confiscated it, hoping An Yu would assume it was her “Mommy.”

After sending it, Lan Cixing scrolled up to see the source of the 99+. Most of them were transfer notifications. The transfer notifications Rong Yushu had seen were correct; they came from An Yu.

When Lan Cixing saw the tenth transfer, her hands began to tremble involuntarily. By the twentieth, she covered her mouth. By the thirtieth, her head was spinning. Until she finished counting—exactly fifty-two.

Lan Cixing collapsed onto the bed with a thud.

[How much did you transfer me?! 52 times 50,000??] She opened the first one to check and saw it was actually 52,000; she practically fell over. Nearly three million yuan.

What kind of person did her sister pull online?! As the saying goes: a rich second-generation with a bit of money is called a “Scumbag Alpha,” but one this rich is called “Wealthy Lady, I’m hungry, feed me.”

Lan Cixing was dazed by the money and had to stumble to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face to sober up. Once, Lan Cixing had looked down on using such relationships for profit. But life had punched her repeatedly; now she could even consider being a nude body double and accept being Rong Yushu’s personal bodyguard.

Lan Cixing wiped her face dry. She had to seriously consider her relationship with An Yu. Returning to the room, there was a new message from An Yu.

“It’s 52,000. Just small change. Didn’t you want it? Just accept it.”

Seeing that annoying “small change,” Lan Cixing clenched her fists. She really hated rich people!

“I was joking, Sister. This is too much. I’m still a student; I can’t accept it.”

Lan Cixing’s remaining conscience made her refuse so many transfers. Nearly three million. With this money, she could resign on the spot, stop looking at that profit-driven dog-boss’s face, and take her sister traveling to see the world. Lan Cixing felt the pain of letting it go. She guessed she was destined not to be a true Scumbag Alpha in this life.

[Is that so? Your schedule doesn’t look like a student’s.] An Yu’s focus shifted again.

“…” Lan Cixing was speechless. How was she not “student-like”? Her sister, who is an actual student, has exactly this schedule. This “Wealthy Lady A” just liked exposing her.

Considering the money—no, the “feelings” for the Scumbag Alpha—Lan Cixing decided to keep up the act. She cleared her throat and used a high-pitched “cloying” voice, ensuring no one could recognize her, and pressed the voice message button.

“Sister~ How am I not like one?”

After sending it, Lan Cixing listened to it herself and got goosebumps. Her voice was similar to her sister’s; it would surely fool An Yu.

Lan Baian, who was passing by the door to get water: ! She knew her sister wanted to date! Auntie must be effective!

Lan Cixing didn’t know she had been caught again. After the message was sent, she lay on the bed and waited until another transfer notification popped up.

[Good girl, at least accept this one. Don’t feel burdened; to me, it really is just small change.] A message followed.

Lan Cixing was irritated by “small change” and actually clicked to receive the payment. She even sent a harsh message. “Fine, I’ll take it. You gave it voluntarily. Even if you give it, you’re just a substitute.”

The balance increased by 52,000. Lan Cixing stared at the balance, and with a complex mood, invited An Yu to the game. Since she took the money, she had to be professional. She would stay up all night to carry An Yu in the rankings today.

An Yu joined the game smoothly and entered Lan Cixing’s room.

“You changed your face?” Lan Cixing glanced at it. An Yu’s game character was still blonde with green eyes and a monocle—the standard Rong Yushu look—but the expression was ordinary, a cold face, the most common expression captured by fans.

“Didn’t you dislike it? You should like this one, Shushu Dream-Girl.”

Lan Cixing couldn’t refute. At least she wasn’t calling her “Rong Yushu’s girlfriend” anymore.

The ranked match began, and Lan Cixing stopped messaging. Other teams were using voice chat to discuss tactics. On Lan Cixing’s side, even though it was a duo-queue, she carried the other seven players alone, crushing the opposition without any communication. The other random teammates, finding nothing left to do, simply switched to support skills and followed behind her to give her buffs. An Yu controlled her character to follow like a shadow, doing nothing, but Lan Cixing knew to protect her.

“My baby girl is so amazing.” An Yu kept sending messages in the team chat to praise Lan Cixing. The random teammates were speechless, saying they were going to block this “annoying couple.”

Lan Cixing didn’t see the channel chat until the match was over, feeling speechless. A Scumbag Alpha is a scumbag—taking advantage of her focus on skills to go out and declare ownership.

“I should rest now. You sleep early too.” Before going offline, Lan Cixing politely said goodnight to An Yu. Then she turned off her phone without looking at the messages An Yu sent back.

The joy brought by e-sports wasn’t fake. Lan Cixing’s mood had improved significantly, and she was even humming a song while washing up. Halfway through, she suddenly stopped. She remembered her sister was a game idiot—the kind that needed carrying to reach the Golden Core rank. If she was suddenly this skilled, wouldn’t she be discovered?

Lan Cixing gulped, accidentally swallowing her mouthwash. “…” Forget it. An Yu hadn’t mentioned it, so she’d just act like she didn’t know. If she did mention it, she’d say she was pretending before.

She had spent too much time with Rong Yushu during the day. She had thought about her too many times as well. Tonight was destined to have no peaceful dreams.

Lan Cixing dreamed of the incident from four years ago. The dream was a memory, so real she felt somewhat immersed. That night with Rong Yushu was clearly very pleasant. They had been drawn into their special periods by each other’s pheromones and sank deeper into the perfectly matching scents. Both were first-timers; neither knew what they were doing.

Lan Cixing remembered awkwardly hugging Rong Yushu, constantly calling her “Sister,” and intimately pressing against her skin. Rong Yushu indulged her, hooking her into her arms with a single finger, giving her warmth and softness. And the endless scent of white tea.

Rong Yushu was composed; Lan Cixing was urgent. Rong Yushu carried an aggressive seduction; Lan Cixing was submissive and obedient, following step by step. They guided each other, reaching heights they had never imagined.

Lan Cixing, lost in Rong Yushu’s caresses and repeated whispers of “Good child,” bit into her gland. The Omega’s and Alpha’s pheromones merged at that moment. Back then, Rong Yushu indeed hadn’t stopped her. She even pressed Lan Cixing’s spine, as if hoping she would go deeper. Lan Cixing was unskilled and green, but she was Rong Yushu’s obedient “good child.” She bit very deep. A marking took fifteen minutes. Rong Yushu had countless chances to push her away. But Lan Cixing only heard one word.

“Good child.”

But the next day when she opened her eyes, all the beauty in the fantasy collapsed. What greeted Lan Cixing was not Rong Yushu’s kiss, interlaced fingers, or romantic ambiguity. It was a scene of chaos.

At that time, the room door was wide open. Countless reporters surrounded the door, scrambling to photograph the two in their disheveled state. The crowd even pushed Lan Cixing and Rong Yushu apart. Their held hands separated.

Rong Yushu had a family and protection. Her sister arrived in time to save her, covering her head and ordering the reporters not to take any more photos or spread them. But Lan Cixing had nothing. Her misery, the marking bite, the red marks remaining on her skin—all became explosive viral hits, blood to be sucked dry.

They all said Lan Cixing was desperate for status and had forcibly induced the top Omega’s heat, leaving a mark just to force a “shotgun marriage.”

The dream stopped at Rong Yushu’s departure. Lan Cixing looked at her helplessly, only seeing a flash of coldness.

Lan Cixing woke up from the dream with a start, her heart beating painfully fast, her body drenched in hot sweat. She blinked, the cold light of the green eyes still lingering before her. Lan Cixing shrunk back until she hit the wall; the cold surface stung her. The summer night was sweltering, yet no different from other nights—only the loneliness of being by herself. Lan Cixing hugged herself and buried her head.

Lan Cixing gave herself a shot of suppressant. It had been four years; her recent ruts had been very stable. With no other Omega around her, she didn’t even need suppressants to get through them. This time, it might not work.

After the injection, Lan Cixing checked Rong Yushu’s message, set an alarm, and planned to rest a bit more. If Rong Yushu saw her dark circles, she’d be teased again.

When the alarm rang, Lan Cixing dragged her exhausted body to prepare a simple breakfast, leaving a portion in a thermal container for Lan Baian. Before leaving, a message came from her Auntie. Lan Cixing scanned it and gasped. Her Auntie wanted her to go on a blind date again!

“Auntie, I’m really not interested. I have no plans to date. I’m doing fine now.] If anything was bad, she could endure it; consider it atonement. Rong Yushu was confused by the drug that night, but she shouldn’t have been. They shouldn’t have had sex in that state, let alone that ridiculous deep marking.

“Don’t give me that. You can only fool Baian. You dare say you haven’t thought about that one named Rong lately?” Auntie didn’t believe her, her words direct and sharp.

Lan Cixing was silent.

“I knew it.” Not receiving a message for half a minute, Auntie saw right through Lan Cixing. “You’re almost 28. If you keep this up, you’ll suffer when you’re old. Besides, the blind date your Auntie picked for you is definitely high quality. They don’t care about the entertainment industry, don’t know about those things of yours, and certainly won’t believe marketing accounts. They are all beauties and successful in their careers. Trying doesn’t hurt.”

A drop of sweat appeared on Lan Cixing’s forehead. Why did she feel her Auntie was coming in so strong this time, determined to make her go on this blind date?

“It’s settled then. I’ve already spoken to them; it would be rude if you didn’t go. I guarantee you’ll like them. If you don’t, come back and tell me, and I’ll find you another.” As she spoke, Auntie sent over the contact information for Blind Date Number One.

“…I’m only free next Tuesday and Wednesday.] Lan Cixing gave in a bit. She dared to tell her sister to mind her own business, but facing the Auntie who had raised them despite it being unnecessary, she couldn’t say a single harsh word.

“Cut it out. Baian told me you have no orders these few days. The girl is very busy and only free on weekends. You’re just having a meal this afternoon.”

Lan Cixing had a bit of a headache. She really needed to teach Lan Baian a lesson. And she still had to deal with her determined Auntie.

“I really have an order. Don’t listen to Baian’s nonsense. Some orders come suddenly; I just didn’t explain it clearly to her.” Like this job for Rong Yushu—fearing they would worry, Lan Cixing couldn’t tell them. “I can only try to ask for leave from the boss. If I can’t get it, please ask Auntie to tell them to reschedule.”

Lan Cixing had no choice but to agree; if she said more, her Auntie would charge into her house. Her Auntie’s nose was sharper than Lan Baian’s, and her intuition was more accurate. If she were caught being Rong Yushu’s bodyguard, she’d be even more doomed. She was doing it for the money. There was no way to explain that; Auntie had a hereditary illness and her financial situation wasn’t great. Lan Cixing didn’t want Auntie to send them more money and increase her burden.

“Tell her yourself.”

Lan Cixing was forced to add Blind Date Number One.

After going downstairs, Lan Cixing originally intended to take the subway to Rong Yushu’s studio, but she saw a black car parked at her building entrance. Lan Cixing took out her phone to confirm. Rong Yushu had said there would be car service, and the license plate matched.

Soon they arrived at the studio. Lan Cixing was somewhat familiar with this place and found Rong Yushu’s office without needing directions. She knocked and entered. When she walked in, Rong Yushu’s subordinate seemed to be reporting work to her. Aside from her status as a top celebrity, Rong Yushu was also a small business owner. Her business scope wasn’t as broad as the Rong family’s, but she had achieved quite a bit in recent years, and her development had taken off after connecting with the Rong family.

Lan Cixing got permission, entered the office, and stood beside Rong Yushu like a statue. “…” The subordinate glanced at Lan Cixing. She couldn’t recognize her through the mask, but she instinctively didn’t want to report sensitive data in front of an outsider.

Lan Cixing thought the subordinate had finished and looked at Rong Yushu, just about to mention her request for leave.

“Continue.” Rong Yushu tapped the desk, gesturing to her subordinate. Lan Cixing moved back.

“Um… the last quarter was about like that. President Rong, are you going to see Cang Cang this weekend?” The subordinate still refused to continue the report and switched to a topic Lan Cixing didn’t understand.

Lan Cixing had no intention of eavesdropping and looked at Rong Yushu again, preparing to suggest leaving for a few minutes to give them space.

Rong Yushu raised her hand to stop the subordinate. She turned, her emerald fox-eyes casting a gaze toward Lan Cixing. “Is something the matter?” She could see Lan Cixing’s hesitation.

“Should I step out…”

“Not that.” Rong Yushu interrupted, her peripheral vision sweeping over the subordinate, who inexplicably got goosebumps and felt cold despite the heat. “When you just came in, what did you want to say?” Rong Yushu softened her tone, coaxing gently.

Lan Cixing was drawn in and unconsciously told the truth. “Boss, I might have something this afternoon. I’d like to ask for two hours of leave.”

Rong Yushu’s fox-eyes narrowed. Her green eyes already had the coldness of a deep pond; now there was only a sliver of dark light, the chill even more apparent. “When we signed the contract, you didn’t mention this.” She seemed a bit unhappy.

Lan Cixing lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Boss. It’s an emergency. My family is forcing me to go on a blind date, saying it’s already scheduled… How about I work an extra half-day for you?”

She heard a sneer.

“You’re asking me for leave just to go on a blind date?”

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