Then Hold Me
“Now you remember I’m part of the Bai family?” Bai Xin’s breathing was unsteady. She coughed. “Unfortunately, I don’t care one bit.”
“But, I can give you a chance.”
“What chance…?” Bai Xingxing asked suspiciously.
“If you can endure ten minutes without leaving this room, I can pretend nothing happened.”
“Ten minutes?! Are you crazy?” Bai Xingxing pointed at Zeng Lu, who was restlessly stirring on the floor. “She’s about to…”
“You can choose.”
“Let’s report it.”
Once outside the private room door, Bai Xin said in a low voice.
Cheng Jiqing: “I thought you were really going to let her off.”
Bai Xingxing would undoubtedly choose the ten minutes.
Whether it was the induction agent from that day or today’s drug, both were illegal, especially given the coercive nature.
There was evidence, witnesses, and even physical proof.
The Special Management Office would lock her up for three to five years, no escaping it.
Bai Xin said calmly, “I never planned to let her go.”
Her eyelashes concealed the sharpness in her brown eyes.
Cheng Jiqing thought, I used similar words to trick Zeng Lu earlier too. Even if Zeng Lu had immediately told her which room Bai Xin was in back then, she would have dealt with Zeng Lu afterwards.
Looked at this way, she and Miss Bai seemed to have some similarities.
But Bai Xingxing was stupider than Zeng Lu.
Bai Xingxing believed it.
“Will Bai Xingxing run?”
“She knows I wasn’t joking. She wouldn’t dare,” Bai Xin said, her face pale.
Going to jail—how could a pampered, spoiled rich kid1 like Bai Xingxing dare face that?
“Is ten minutes okay?”
Cheng Jiqing wasn’t very familiar with Alpha-Omega pheromone dynamics yet. She roughly understood that Bai Xin putting the soon-to-be-in-heat Zeng Lu and Bai Xingxing in the same room was a way of giving them a taste of their own medicine2.
Letting them also experience the humiliating feeling of being confused by induction agents and pheromones, losing control.
Bai Xin shook her head. In ten minutes, Zeng Lu would at most trigger Bai Xingxing’s agitation period. By the time the Special Management Office arrived, things in the room should just be starting to get lively.
Of course, it wouldn’t just be the Special Management Office going there then.
Cheng Jiqing fell silent for a second, also thinking. Since the Special Management Office was already involved, why not make it even livelier?
How would people learn their lesson if it didn’t hurt enough?
Bai Xin couldn’t walk more than a few steps before the pain made her double over. Seeing an empty private room ahead, Cheng Jiqing helped her onto the sofa inside first.
Thinking back now, she seemed to recall hearing something about an ‘Alpha concoction’ in the video. She worried Bai Xin might be going into heat.
“Is it your heat cycle?”
Bai Xin initially wanted to shake her head, but meeting Cheng Jiqing’s concerned gaze, she paused. “Maybe…”
Hearing this, Cheng Jiqing first went to close the door to the room.
The room was dim, lit only by the small transparent glass panel on the door.
Cheng Jiqing asked, “Do you have a suppressant on you?”
Bai Xin said, “In my bag.”
The bag wasn’t with her.
Her phone had broken when it fell in Bai Xingxing’s room earlier.
Cheng Jiqing thought for a moment. “Which room? I’ll go get it for you.”
She could also take the chance to give Zeng Lu’s phone to Yu Lan. Yu Lan would coordinate with the police to handle the rest later.
Before leaving, Cheng Jiqing still felt uneasy and looked back. “I’ll be right back.”
Like some kind of promise.
Bai Xin’s mind drifted for a second. “Let me borrow your phone.”
“Here.”
She handed it over without hesitation. “Password is six sevens.”
Cheng Jiqing gave her the phone and turned to leave.
She exited quickly, but closed the door very gently. Darkness and silence descended simultaneously. Bai Xin held the phone, lost in thought.
Cheng Jiqing really seemed different from others.
Bai Xin pulled back her thoughts and dialed a number using Cheng Jiqing’s phone. The other end picked up quickly.
“It’s fine, you don’t need to come.”
“Send everything you’ve found recently about Zeng Lu to the Special Management Office.”
Bai Xin clutched her chest, the sharp pain making her breath slightly ragged. She felt better when Cheng Jiqing was here just now; the moment Cheng Jiqing left, the pain intensified.
Bai Xin continued what she hadn’t finished saying, her voice extremely low, “Ask a few reporters who have a good relationship with us to come over. Those who can arrive within ten minutes.”
The call ended.
Bai Xin glanced at her watch. It was custom-made after the villa incident, equipped with positioning and a panic alarm.
The person she just called had given it to her.
Her constitution would be weaker and more sensitive for a short time after being marked. Just in case, she had accepted it.
If she encountered danger, a few quick presses would trigger the alarm.
The moment she was dragged into the room, she had pressed it. Continuously talking to Bai Xingxing was also a way to stall for time.
But she hadn’t expected Cheng Jiqing to come.
Cheng Jiqing retrieved the suppressant, gave Zeng Lu’s phone to Yu Lan, and then had Yu Lan find opportunities to leak the news to the socialite circle members present at Shenghao today, directing them towards Zeng Lu and Bai Xingxing’s room. Additionally, she arranged for a few reporters.
All this took only a few minutes. Cheng Jiqing ran back.
Her high heels clattered urgently on the tiled floor.
“I’m back.”
Pushing open the door, Cheng Jiqing realized the room was too dark. She reached to turn on the lights but was stopped by Bai Xin.
Bai Xin was leaning sideways on the sofa. Cheng Jiqing couldn’t see her expression clearly, only hearing her voice, which seemed weaker than before.
“I had Yu Lan make arrangements. No one will come over for a while.”
“Don’t turn on the lights,” Bai Xin said.
It would get noisy outside soon. She didn’t want this room noticed; she couldn’t move right now.
Cheng Jiqing thought for a moment, retracted her hand, and used the light filtering in from the doorway to sit down beside Bai Xin. “I was worried about giving you the injection, I don’t have experience and can’t see clearly—”
“Cheng Jiqing… it hurts.”
Bai Xin’s head rested against the sofa, slightly lowered, her voice weaker than a kitten’s meow.
Cheng Jiqing abruptly stopped, her heart softening. “Should I give you the suppressant?”
Bai Xin exhaled. “It’s not my heat cycle.”
“Then what is it?”
Bai Xin didn’t answer. Those low-compatibility Alpha pheromones, even S-level ones, couldn’t necessarily induce her heat cycle or pheromone release.
She was, after all, SSS-level. She recognized the drug Bai Xingxing injected her with and knew its side effects. It wouldn’t cause major problems or expose her.
It would just make her body, due to its special nature, reject those Alpha pheromones. Her cells would attack them spontaneously.
So, she would feel pain.
The biggest side effect of this drug on her was pain.
But Cheng Jiqing could soothe her.
That was the benefit of high compatibility.
Bai Xin didn’t have the energy to explain all this now. Seeing her state, Cheng Jiqing’s voice softened unconsciously. “The pain will stop after the suppressant.”
She didn’t even notice the coaxing tone in her voice.
“It’s useless.”
“I should still take you to see Tang Jia.” She leaned closer, reaching out to touch Bai Xin’s forehead. Pain? If it’s not heat, then is it a fever?
The moment she touched her, Bai Xin instinctively rested her forehead against Cheng Jiqing’s palm.
Cheng Jiqing felt the slight nuzzle against her palm, her heart rate increasing slightly. She heard Bai Xin ask, “Cheng Jiqing, can you let me hug you for a bit?”
Questioning, gentle.
Not fierce at all.
Cheng Jiqing realized she didn’t have the slightest thought of refusing.
She fell silent for a moment, her fingers twitching, then pulled her hand away from Bai Xin’s forehead and slightly opened her arms.
When Bai Xin leaned over, Cheng Jiqing’s hands were still hovering in the air. The Omega’s lily fragrance enveloped her, fitting so closely there was barely any space between them.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital now?”
“Just… don’t make noise for now…”
Cheng Jiqing: “…?”
She actually detected a hint of dissatisfaction. Cheng Jiqing found it amusing, her voice still gentle. “You’re the one taking advantage of me right now. Isn’t it a bit unfair to tell me I’m noisy?”
Bai Xin’s smooth chin moved against Cheng Jiqing’s shoulder as she turned her head slightly. She could see Cheng Jiqing’s ear, but the dim light made it hard to tell if it was white or pink.
Unable to hold the position, she leaned her head back again. “You can take advantage back.”
Due to inertia, Bai Xin’s nose brushed against Cheng Jiqing.
It looked like she was burying her face in Cheng Jiqing’s neck.
“Or, you can push me away,” she added in a soft, frail tone.
Cheng Jiqing: “…”
How could anyone push her away now?
Perhaps due to the cold sweat, Bai Xin’s skin wasn’t hot. On the contrary, Cheng Jiqing seemed slightly warmer than Bai Xin.
Because of the pain, Bai Xin’s breathing was faster than usual, and the quicker Bai Xin breathed, the hotter Cheng Jiqing felt.
Her thoughts snagged on the previous sentence—if she took advantage back—
…Wait.
Cheng Jiqing promptly stopped her internal ramblings.
She realized there was a problem with her moral compass.
Cheng Jiqing thought, Back then, my thoughts were upright, I was pure-hearted and ascetic3, the entertainment circle’s female Liu Xiahui4, the nation’s famous abstinent movie queen.
But when it comes to Bai Xin, my thoughts become impure, my inner fire burns strong, Beicheng’s officially registered female Ximen Qing5, Shenghao private room’s 23-year-old fishnet girl.
If Bai Xin weren’t hugging her right now, she really wanted to touch the white jade bodhi bracelet on her wrist and properly clear her mind.
After waiting a moment.
The Omega in her arms seemed to be improving, but from time to time she would still press harder into her embrace due to pain. Cheng Jiqing’s arms, held up, were getting tired. She lowered them.
When Bai Xin flinched again, Cheng Jiqing raised one hand to pat her back, then gently wrapped an arm around her…
Her other hand remained immobile by her leg.
Waiting until Bai Xin was clearly more comfortable.
Cheng Jiqing gazed into the dim room, seeming to understand something. Bai Xin’s current behavior wasn’t because she had other intentions towards her.
Instead, it was because of what Tang Jia said—influenced by the marking and the induction agent, she felt a bit… dependent on her?
Tang Jia had said that contact with her could genuinely soothe Bai Xin. Even if not in heat, Bai Xin might need her within this month.
This realization brought Cheng Jiqing a moment of joy; after all, her initial goal of reconciling with Bai Xin had taken another big step forward.
She even had a feeling that after this incident, the grudge between her and Bai Xin might finally be resolved.
Then she felt a bit regretful, though she couldn’t say why.
“Then you hold me. I can play the recording for you,” Cheng Jiqing remembered the important matter. It was the recording of her conversation with Zeng Lu today; she had prepared it before entering the room.
Cheng Jiqing lowered the volume and placed the phone against Bai Xin’s back. It was only about ten minutes of recording. She played the key parts.
“Originally, it was to prove my own innocence, but now this seems more useful,” Cheng Jiqing said.
“Handing it over to the Special Management Office—aren’t you afraid you’ll be investigated too?”
“I didn’t do anything. It’s fine even if they investigate,” Cheng Jiqing was certain now.
Bai Xin didn’t speak.
Cheng Jiqing asked, “So, do you believe me?”
After a long pause, Bai Xin moved away from Cheng Jiqing’s embrace. Having leaned for so long, half of her body felt numb. She took a moment to recover.
Seeing Bai Xin remain silent, Cheng Jiqing said regretfully, “I did my best, Miss Bai. Maybe once Zeng Lu confesses, you’ll be able to believe it.”
Perhaps Bai Xin had never believed her, and might never believe her in the future.
Cheng Jiqing remained understanding. She felt she ought to be understanding.
What else could she do? She couldn’t force someone to believe her.
Bai Xin suddenly said, “I stopped doubting you after the parking lot incident.”
She didn’t like saying the words ‘I believe you’. Disliked their literal meaning.
Like ‘I love you’, they sounded beautiful but were actually as empty as mist, easily dispersed.
Meaningless.
Cheng Jiqing paused, then asked, “Why?”
Bai Xin looked at her too. “That day, any other Alpha wouldn’t have let me go.”
She wasn’t being conceited. The probability of an SSS-level Omega’s heat driving Alphas of that level or lower into a frenzy was 99%. This was a result deduced from medical history based on existing AO level reactions. Historical records could also confirm this.
But Cheng Jiqing had endured it, even pinching herself until she bled that day. Although compatibility played a role, Tang Jia had said it was incredibly difficult for Cheng Jiqing to restrain herself.
Cheng Jiqing initially felt happy, but then immediately sensed something was off.
“I suspect you’re subtly insulting me.”
‘Any other Alpha’ implied, in other words, wasn’t that saying she wasn’t an Alpha?
In the ABO world, that was basically the same as cursing her for being inadequate.
She almost blurted out—Don’t you know whether I’m capable or not?
But she managed to hold back. For her, and especially for Bai Xin, that day wasn’t a pleasant memory.
Bai Xin didn’t know what Cheng Jiqing was thinking, only finding her reaction interesting. “Am I?”
“No?” Cheng Jiqing questioned.
After speaking, she saw Bai Xin smile slightly. She felt an urge to poke that dimple; it must be very soft.
Cheng Jiqing couldn’t be bothered to argue. She felt the room getting hotter and hotter, even though the air conditioning was clearly on.
The noise outside suddenly grew louder. More than ten minutes had passed. There had actually been some sounds earlier, but now it was more obvious.
Sharp shouts quickly erupted. They weren’t far away and could even hear Bai Xingxing’s curses…
There were also plenty of jeering and gossiping6 sounds, as well as shouts from people distancing themselves from the crowd.
After all, there was an Omega in heat in that room, which would still affect Alphas and Omegas of the same or lower levels somewhat.
Suddenly, it seemed the entire corridor erupted.
Cheng Jiqing casually checked her phone messages. In the hallway several rooms away, besides the Special Management Office personnel and the ‘rich kids circle’ she had called to spectate, there were also reporters.
Yu Lan said it wasn’t just the reporters they had called, but another batch as well.
Messages about Zeng Lu and Bai Xingxing were flooding the WeChat group chat, spreading much faster than Bai Xingxing’s initial WeChat Moments post.
‘Holy sh%t, this is explosive, friends! Zeng Lu, Bai Xingxing, and some Alpha having a threesome7 at Shenghao!’
‘Bai Xingxing’s face is so swollen from being hit, they play way too rough, seriously. Zeng Lu still loves playing these kinds of thrilling games.’
‘I heard the Special Management Office also found induction agents and illegal pheromone drugs, f%cking awesome.’
‘I have video from the scene. May good people have peaceful lives8, no need to thank me.’
‘[Video]’
Cheng Jiqing clicked on it. It was just a video shot from outside the room. From that angle, Zeng Lu was clinging to Bai Xingxing. Their clothes were on, but they looked disheveled.
There were many photos from the scene below.
These two were thoroughly ruined now.
Even if they got out one day, it would be very difficult for them to get by, especially Zeng Lu, who relied on her reputation within the circle to thrive.
Cheng Jiqing thought for a moment and sent a WeChat message to Yu Lan, asking her to briefly inform Cheng Jing about today’s events, including the video. This matter would definitely blow up. The Bai family or Zeng Lu’s ‘clients’ might try to pull strings to get them out.
She needed to bring out her own background too.
It was a power struggle; no time for squeamishness.
“We’ll also have to go to the Special Management Office later. What will you say to your dad then?”
“Let’s see what he says after watching the video,” Bai Xin said coolly.
Cheng Jiqing gazed at Bai Xin’s delicate profile, a complex emotion arising within her.
Her paternal half-sister tried to harm her. Would her notoriously biased biological father feel distressed, would he protect Bai Xin after seeing the video of how she was treated?
Perhaps because she already knew the answer, her mood dipped momentarily.
The atmosphere also felt slightly weaker than before.
After two minutes, Cheng Jiqing heard the noise outside lessen. “Are you feeling better now?”
Bai Xin heard the implied urgency to leave in her tone.
“Wait a bit longer.”
She indeed hadn’t fully recovered. Actually, since separating from Cheng Jiqing, the pain had returned slightly. Just not as severe as initially.
Another moment passed.
Cheng Jiqing moistened her dry lips. “Is the air conditioner broken? Do you feel hot?”
Bai Xin didn’t feel hot now; rather, she felt hot when leaning against Cheng Jiqing earlier.
Cheng Jiqing felt a growing irritation, especially when Bai Xin’s fragrance occasionally wafted over, carried by the air conditioning vent above.
She was wearing a tank top, and sweat started beading on her neck. Her cropped jeans also felt stuffy and uncomfortable. She tugged at the collar of her tank top, fanning herself with the fabric’s elasticity.
Until her gland started heating up, then gradually began to ache and swell…
Cheng Jiqing realized something was wrong.
Her pheromones hadn’t come out yet; Bai Xin hadn’t noticed.
“Are you very hot?”
Cheng Jiqing turned sideways to Bai Xin, her fanning motion slowly stopping. “Bai Xin, I think I might be…”
Her tone held a trace of uncertainty.
She felt something accumulating within her gland, gathering force, wanting to burst out, just like that day at the villa.
This kind of pheromone release was different from facing an enemy; it stemmed entirely from primal instinct.
As a newcomer to the ABO world, she still felt inexperienced.
Cheng Jiqing tried to control it.
Someone was moving outside. Bai Xin leaned closer to her ear, asking, “What?”
The Omega’s fragrance and proximate warmth made her defenses crumble.
Cheng Jiqing felt a sharp sting on her neck, followed by a surge of heat. Lacking experience, she was caught off guard by the heat, and her pheromones instantly burst forth like savagely growing seeds—
The scent of peach blossom wine pheromones assaulted Bai Xin without warning, making her own gland ignite.
She was already in an irregular period, and the other person was Cheng Jiqing, who had just marked her. Her heat cycle was triggered without any warning, easily drawn out…
Alpha and Omega pheromones rapidly mingled in the private room.
Lily and peach blossom wine.
One rich and bewitching, the other light and intoxicating.
Neither could withstand the other.
Cheng Jiqing’s gland reacted strongly. She retreated two steps, preventing herself from touching Bai Xin. She felt extremely agitated but was still lucid.
Maybe with others she could manage, but facing Bai Xin, she felt she might not have that much self-control.
She instinctively put distance between herself and Bai Xin, afraid of losing her senses.
Because she had a bad feeling that the events from the villa that day might just repeat themselves…
The author has something to say:
Now
Cheng 11: I need to stay calm, lust is a dangerous trap9
Bai 00: Cheng Jiqing, it hurts.
Cheng 11: …… Can’t resist.
Later
Cheng 11: I need to stay calm, we just have a contractual marriage.
Bai 00: Wife, hold me.
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