The Second Fall - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Checking Alpha Functions

Lan Cixing fell silent for a moment.

Was she truly in “abstinence”?

She thought she was doing fine; she simply didn’t usually have those kinds of thoughts. When one encounters someone too beautiful in their youth and shares intimacy with an Omega like Rong Yushu, even if the outcome is poor, it becomes impossible to be moved by anyone else thereafter.

During the four years apart, Lan Cixing truly hadn’t felt much of anything. Watching TV, movies, magazines, or even occasionally confiscating Lan Bairan’s “small videos”—she found it all boring. Thus, her ruts over those four years had passed quite smoothly. She didn’t even need suppressants; most of the time, she just relaxed and let it pass. She had even been quite happy about the money she saved.

Could it be that the reason she didn’t need suppressants to survive her ruts was because she was overly abstinent? Surely not?

Lan Cixing shook her head guiltily, her eyes betraying her uncertainty.

“If you really aren’t, then why are you still so clumsy?” Though Rong Yushu wasn’t holding her, she was sitting right beside her. She reached out and poked Lan Cixing’s forehead with a sharp nail. It poked a tiny, itchy spot, as if Rong Yushu had bitten her herself.

Lan Cixing jolted from the itch. Understanding Rong Yushu’s implication, her ears suddenly turned red. “I… I was just…” She didn’t dare explain.

Could she say she was being cautious for fear of hurting Rong Yushu? Could she say she had a bit of ulterior motive, wanting Rong Yushu to teach her? Neither was easy to voice. Lan Cixing buried her head, her eyes misting over.

Rong Yushu didn’t let her off. She tilted her head and leaned in, pressing close. They were already intimate, so this distance no longer made Lan Cixing flinch. It wasn’t until Rong Yushu’s lips brushed Lan Cixing’s ear almost imperceptibly that Lan Cixing bounced up like a clockwork doll wound by its master.

Her hand had been grabbed by Rong Yushu at some point, and she couldn’t escape. Lan Cixing fell back onto the bed. Her earlobe was bitten, and a clear, elegant Hong Kong accent drifted into her ear: “Did you do it with someone else during these four years?”

Lan Cixing shook her head violently. She didn’t like anyone else. Even if Lan Bairan secretly did that with someone, it was impossible for her.

“Then… did you release it yourself?” The tone carried a hint of teasing.

Lan Cixing shook her head even harder. She didn’t even have those thoughts; what “myself”?

Rong Yushu burst into laughter. She moved away from Lan Cixing’s side and looked up at Yan Siyi, who was sitting nearby for the “consultation,” her forehead practically glowing with clinical light. Like a mother, Rong Yushu helped summarize Lan Cixing’s “condition.”

“She’s just been too abstinent. Adults should play a little, right?”

Abstinent to the point where her gland was failing. Rong Yushu was quite satisfied with this result, looking at Yan Siyi with an appreciative gaze. If Yan Siyi were sensible, she would follow Rong Yushu’s lead and encourage Lan Cixing to release more. As for with whom… anyone with eyes could see.

Yan Siyi was glowing brightly enough to light up the night outside, and she couldn’t possibly misunderstand. Unfortunately, she was a rigorous and responsible doctor.

“In her current state, it’s best not to do anything too stimulating. It would be better to take it step by step, gently, to avoid overstimulating the gland, which could lead to extreme complications or permanent damage.”

Yan Siyi assumed Rong Yushu wouldn’t want to joke with Lan Cixing’s health. Otherwise, why call her in the middle of the night for overtime?

However, Rong Yushu was petty. After hearing just one sentence, she rolled her eyes at Yan Siyi. Blatant daggers of light stabbed at Yan Siyi one after another. Yan Siyi pretended not to see and focused on the patient, Lan Cixing.

Lan Cixing was silent for a moment. Yan Siyi’s words implied that the stimulation Rong Yushu gave her was too much. It made sense. If Rong Yushu hadn’t been constantly seducing her, things wouldn’t have reached that point today. And even after they started, Rong Yushu cried and bit, her face looking a hundred times cuter than any crying scene on the big screen, making it impossible for Lan Cixing to hold back. Rong Yushu’s scratches had become the seasoning for their flirting.

They had been absurd for nearly the whole night. Lan Cixing feared that if she opened the curtains now, it would already be dawn. Her dull grey eyes drifted toward Rong Yushu. Rong Yushu didn’t look at her; she kept staring at Yan Siyi, her eyes narrowed in a smile, though her aura carried a subtle displeasure.

“Then please, Doctor Yan, tell us exactly what ‘step by step’ means.” Her tone was cold and flat.

Lan Cixing, who knew her well, felt her ears twitch from the stimulus; she knew Rong Yushu was angry. Yan Siyi remained unmoved, giving examples like a little teacher, serious and pedantic, even counting on her fingers.

“In terms of intimacy, you must give the other person time to buffer and an opportunity to adapt.”

She had been Rong Yushu’s family doctor for years; how could she not know her temperament? She seemed gentle and elegant, smiling at everyone, occasionally acting cute and blushing while acting spoiled with elders. In reality, she was more domineering than her sister, demanding absolute control. If one dared to say “two” when she said “one,” she would launch a campaign of mad revenge. Her temper was huge and eccentric; no one could coax her out of it.

In Yan Siyi’s view, Rong Yushu must have used both threats and bribes to get this poor little Alpha, who had a history with her four years ago, to spend the night. Perhaps Lan Cixing was even the one on the bottom.

Yan Siyi offered a silent prayer for Lan Cixing in her heart. “For example, regarding physical contact, start by trying to hold hands, or touching the head and face. After a period of adaptation, move on to kissing. Before the gland recovers, it’s best not to go to bed.”

As expected, before Yan Siyi could finish, she was hit with another death stare from Rong Yushu. Rong Yushu’s eyes were like sharp knives, wanting to carve out Yan Siyi’s tongue. If this were ancient times, Yan Siyi was certain she would have been dragged away and executed. Fortunately, it was the modern era, and Rong Yushu was relatively law-abiding.

Yan Siyi admitted defeat after being stared at for three seconds, having to wipe sweat from her forehead to hide the awkwardness. She cleared her throat to save her job. “If you want to do it, you can. But you must include a marking. Using suppressants like today is not good; it worsens the gland issues. If there are enough markings to release the pressure, the gland will slowly recover.”

Lan Cixing had been quite happy thinking she wouldn’t have to face Rong Yushu’s going anymore, but upon hearing this, her expression looked as if she’d been struck by lightning.

Rong Yushu, however, was satisfied. She let out a breath through her nose and suddenly slotted her fingers into the gaps between Lan Cixing’s. Like a “good student,” she wanted to show the teacher what she had learned. Ignoring Lan Cixing’s flinch, she pried open Lan Cixing’s palm, pressing the heat of her skin firmly against hers, locking their ten fingers together.

“Sis… Sister…” Lan Cixing’s gland felt hot again, and she couldn’t help but plead. Did this count as stimulation? It was just holding hands.

Rong Yushu unhappily squeezed Lan Cixing’s hand tighter, holding it even more intimately. But she turned her head away, ignoring her.

“Ahem.” Yan Siyi watched this “bad student” deliberately break the rules in front of her and gave a reminder.

Rong Yushu indeed threw Lan Cixing’s hand away, as if the hand had shamelessly forced itself upon her. She even disdainfully grabbed a tissue nearby to wipe her hand.

Seeing her action, Lan Cixing raised her hand slightly and twitched her nose. Mmm…

She couldn’t be blamed, right? They hadn’t had time to clean up before the doctor arrived. Her hand had air-dried, and it was still covered in Rong Yushu’s scent. It was so thick that Lan Cixing didn’t dare breathe it in too much; even a wisp caused a reaction in her gland.

“Do you want to check her Alpha functions as well?” Rong Yushu finished wiping her hand slowly in front of them, tossed the wet tissue aside, and suddenly curved her fox-eyes, a cunning light sweeping toward Yan Siyi.

“Her? She won’t even mark me.” Her face was smiling, but her eyes were daggers. This light was only visible to Yan Siyi, who was facing her directly. Lan Cixing looked over cautiously from the side, seeing only blunt mockery.

Rong Yushu’s words bordered on humiliation. No one would feel anything but shame when having their functions questioned, even an Omega. But Lan Cixing actually started thinking about it. Maybe she really wasn’t capable, which was why her gland was failing and she couldn’t mark Rong Yushu.

It was better to check. If it was truly a functional issue, Lan Cixing hoped it wasn’t too late for treatment.

Seeing that Lan Cixing didn’t object, Yan Siyi took out her equipment and began testing her. Throughout the process, Rong Yushu sat with her arms crossed and legs overlapped, her eyes slightly curved—a beautiful yet meaningful curve. She watched intently, putting mountain-like pressure on Yan Siyi.

Yan Siyi had to speed up. Fifteen minutes later, the results came out. Yan Siyi looked at the data; everything was normal. In fact, Lan Cixing was a high-level Alpha, an S-class Alpha with one foot in the “Top” category. Her data was impressively good; after all, she was in the prime of her life.

Hearing the result, Lan Cixing thought: this is bad.

Rong Yushu took the opportunity to kick her in the back. “Function is normal, so you just don’t want to?”

Lan Cixing bowed her head and took the kick solidly. The pain wasn’t in her back, but in her heart. She bit her lip, unable to voice her psychological block. She turned back to beg for mercy, but was scared off by Rong Yushu’s indifferent gaze.

Yan Siyi saw the tears at the corner of her eyes and wanted to help. For an Alpha in her prime with peak stats to be unable to mark, what could it be other than psychological? Most likely, Rong Yushu had scared Lan Cixing so much before that she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“It might be because it’s been too long since the last marking; she’s out of practice.” Medically, this was the only explanation Yan Siyi could give. But Lan Cixing wasn’t a first-timer. This was more instinctive than instinct, carved into everyone’s genes like heats and ruts. How could she not know how?

“Little Lan, when was the last time you performed a marking?” Yan Siyi assumed that after the incident four years ago, the two hadn’t actually separated and had been entangled ever since—just not publicly. Perhaps Rong Yushu had been secretly keeping Lan Cixing, forbidding her from marking or forcing her to give more. If Lan Cixing’s gland hadn’t malfunctioned this time, Yan Siyi feared she would never have known.

“Four years ago…” Lan Cixing was really about to cry. Her voice broke, and a tear nearly fell.

Yan Siyi hadn’t expected this. Could it really be that Lan Cixing’s gland failed because she hadn’t marked in too long? She looked at Rong Yushu. Rong Yushu had an indifferent face, her gaze calm yet unreadable as it rested on Lan Cixing.

“…And the time before that?” Yan Siyi had to keep asking.

“Never…” Lan Cixing blinked her tears back; her lashes were clumped together by salt, and her breathing was uneven.

“Then it’s just because it’s been too long, and you forgot.” Yan Siyi quickly concluded, wanting Rong Yushu not to be so fierce.

“Um, Doctor Yan. Could we please talk privately?” Lan Cixing suddenly looked up at Yan Siyi, as if words had been bottled up in her heart for too long—just like her gland, if she didn’t say them, it would cause a problem.

Yan Siyi hesitated, glancing secretly toward Rong Yushu. Everyone could see that Lan Cixing was just Rong Yushu’s dog. To do anything, she needed Rong Yushu’s permission. Lan Cixing was still sobbing, gripping the sheets, yet she didn’t look at Rong Yushu.

Rong Yushu got up and left the room. She didn’t leave a single word behind.

“She’s far away now. Go ahead.” Yan Siyi hadn’t expected Rong Yushu to actually leave. She sighed audibly and sat back down, watching Lan Cixing try to wipe her tears. She wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how. She didn’t know much about their history; saying more would only lead to mistakes, so she just sat and waited for Lan Cixing to compose herself.

Lan Cixing only wiped for two seconds. When she looked back at Yan Siyi, there wasn’t a ripple in her eyes. Yan Siyi suddenly remembered that Lan Cixing had been an actress too, once competing on the same stage as Rong Yushu. Their fans fought viciously every day, yet they had no idea how intimate the two were in private.

“You… you mustn’t tell Sister.” Lan Cixing’s voice wasn’t fully steady yet; there was a slight tremor. “Please. Whatever you do, don’t tell her. I’m only telling you because I want to fix my gland as soon as possible.” Out of a doctor-patient relationship, Lan Cixing wanted to be honest to see how she should cooperate with the treatment.

“Fine, I won’t say anything,” Yan Siyi agreed for now. Whether Rong Yushu would find out was not up to her, though. After all…

“I… it’s not that I don’t want to mark her.” Lan Cixing inhaled and exhaled slowly; her tone was leveling out. But Yan Siyi could still hear the emotional turbulence. “I want to very much. I’ve… always wanted to.”

Whether separated or when they were together before. Even now. Lan Cixing wanted it, very, very much. She craved the scent of Rong Yushu’s pheromones. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dazed out over a mere hint of white tea.

“I’m just afraid.” But the four-year-long nightmare made it impossible for Lan Cixing to act.

“Because of what happened four years ago?” Lan Cixing had only had one marking experience. It could only be that it wasn’t very pleasant.

“We separated right after the marking. The media, the paparazzi… I don’t want to talk about it. I have a shadow over me, I know that. I also know that the reason I can’t do it now is psychological.” Lan Cixing just hadn’t expected it to affect her physical health. She thought… she could just endure it alone.

“No wonder.” Yan Siyi had thought it was because Rong Yushu was too cruel—like a tyrannical dictator who had tortured Lan Cixing into a psychological shadow. “Have you ever asked her if she wants to be marked? Maybe she’s willing to help you.”

Lan Cixing shook her head, clearly not listening to Yan Siyi’s advice. “But who is she…”

“And who am I? I’m just a bodyguard by her side. There are too many outstanding people around her; how could I be worthy?” Even if Rong Yushu was willing to help her, she should have some self-awareness and dignity. She should clean herself up and leave quietly, not letting Rong Yushu and the family behind her be troubled because of her.

“Even if she accepts me physically because I’m obedient and strong, a marking isn’t something that should be done lightly. We aren’t married… otherwise, four years ago, why would…” Lan Cixing lowered her head as she spoke.

Yan Siyi felt that the issue between them wasn’t just about whether they could mark or if they liked each other. Compared to the spoiled rich-kid Alphas Yan Siyi saw messing around in high society every day, Lan Cixing was too responsible, too pure, and too cute—which made her retreat from such things instead.

“Please don’t tell her.” Amidst the silence, Lan Cixing wiped more tears. “I don’t want her to hate me.” She had finally… returned to her side.

Yan Siyi promised Lan Cixing again, then paused. If Rong Yushu hated Lan Cixing, how could she keep her around? Rong Yushu wasn’t a masochist; if she truly hated someone, she would torture them to the point where suicide would be a relief within a month. How could she be so intimate or call a doctor out of worry? And then there was Cang Cang…

Other things Yan Siyi didn’t know. But she was Rong Yushu’s family doctor; she was in the delivery room helping when Rong Yushu gave birth to little Cang Cang. Back then, to keep the child, Rong Yushu had spent quite some time maneuvering within her family. She lowered herself to beg her sister and reasoned with her mother, offering interests. For a woman as proud as Rong Yushu—who hadn’t gone home much since her debut as a child star at fourteen—to lower herself like that was significant.

Cang Cang was Lan Cixing’s child. You could tell with one look; their eyes were exactly the same—grey-blue, long and narrow like a wolf’s, yet clear and innocent. If that didn’t count as love, Yan Siyi didn’t know who Rong Yushu had ever loved. Perhaps Rong Yushu wouldn’t even go that far for her own daughter.

Ah well. Yan Siyi was just a doctor; she couldn’t meddle in their affairs. She was only here to look at Lan Cixing’s gland.

“How about a different approach? You just need to release pheromones to adjust the gland. You could try toys or something.” For anyone else, Yan Siyi would suggest finding a random person to mark for relief. But she wanted to keep this high-paying job, so she didn’t dare speak recklessly.

“Toys?” Lan Cixing only realized today that her life was quite old-fashioned and boring. She knew nothing about this area.

“Just search for ‘marking aid toys’.”

“Okay, I’ll consider it.” Lan Cixing silently noted the name but didn’t search for it then and there.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Rong Yushu.” Yan Siyi wrote down two more methods for regulation before leaving.

Five minutes after she left, Rong Yushu returned to the room. Lan Cixing was currently washing her hands in the bathroom. Uncharacteristically, Rong Yushu didn’t go straight in; she knocked on the door. She only spoke. “I have new work the day after tomorrow… actually, tomorrow. You should rest well today. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Sister.” The sound of the running water stopped. Rong Yushu stood dazed for two seconds after hearing Lan Cixing’s calm voice. Then, with lowered eyes, she went back to her own room.

She locked the door and turned on the surveillance. She had just finished watching the whole thing live, but now she wanted to watch it again. Rong Yushu played it at double speed, fast-forwarding. The private consultation between Lan Cixing and Yan Siyi only lasted twenty minutes—mostly silence and few words.

After listening, Rong Yushu leaned against the headboard, feeling at a loss. she hadn’t known Lan Cixing had a psychological shadow; she had always thought Lan Cixing hated her and didn’t like her. In that case, should she find a psychologist for her?

Rong Yushu’s heart was a mess; she had never encountered such a thing and didn’t know what to do. she lay on her side, trying to find similar situations in roles she had played, but she rarely took lead roles in romances, so she lacked experience even there. She was silent for half an hour.

The surveillance on the screen kept replaying. Lan Cixing’s restraint and cowardice were so vivid, stinging Rong Yushu’s eyes. Rong Yushu let out a breath, her eyes aching severely. As she blinked, a single tear actually slid from the corner of her eye. she waited for that warm streak to hit the sheet and blossom into a tear-stain before slowly getting up.

She clicked on Yan Siyi’s chat.

“So you really don’t intend to tell me.”

Yan Siyi, who had already arrived home, jolted at the message and nearly jumped off her sofa.

“I know your house is full of cameras; you were bound to find out”, Yan Siyi tried to argue.

“Heh.”

Yan Siyi was breaking out in a sweat. “I’m a good doctor. If a patient says not to tell you, I can’t tell you. Otherwise, how can I treat her?”

“Mhmm.”

Yan Siyi practically wanted to slide-kneel. Next time she would send her students; she didn’t want to be caught between these two anymore. Yan Siyi glanced at her bank balance and took a deep breath. She ignored Rong Yushu.

Rong Yushu’s next message arrived immediately. “And you recommended small toys to her.”

Yan Siyi now had savings and spoke with more confidence. “What of it? For anyone else, I’d tell her to go to a bar and find a random person for a relief marking.”

Rong Yushu was laughed in anger. Just as she was about to dock Yan Siyi’s salary, the follow-up arrived.

“Honestly, toys can’t compare to a real person. If she uses toys long-term, her gland won’t recover either. I told her that, why did you only hear the first half?”

“Then why did you still recommend them to her?” Basically, no matter what Yan Siyi said, Rong Yushu had a retort.

“It’s better than her current state, isn’t it? If she can’t complete a marking soon, there will be irreversible damage to her gland.” Yan Siyi had been very responsible. If it weren’t for the high pay, she wouldn’t bother.

Rong Yushu let out a “tsk,” transferred another 20,000 yuan as a bonus to Yan Siyi, and tossed the phone aside. She sat in the empty room in silence for a few minutes before picking up the phone again, searching for toys in the mall, taking screenshots, and sending them to her subordinates to have a few custom-made specifically for Lan Cixing.

Before she finished sending the messages, there was a sudden knock on the door. Rong Yushu’s instinct was faster; her scalp tensed up as she walked to the door, ready to open it. She quickly stopped herself.

She heard Lan Cixing’s soft, tentative voice from outside. “Sister, are you asleep?”

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