38

Lying restless with a mind full of thoughts, Leng Yanmi didn't sleep well. Her consciousness drifted through one bizarre and twisted dream after another. She knew she was dreaming, yet she couldn't find a way out.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but the torment finally ended. She wearily opened her eyes, only to see Shi Yue lying obediently in her arms, blinking and smiling at her.

"Good morning, Auntie," Shi Yue said softly.

Morning light filtered through the curtains, carrying a faint scent of citrus on the air.

The warmth of the bed, the closeness of their bodies, and the person in her dreams smiling warmly at her—this morning seemed almost surreal in its beauty.

Leng Yanmi felt a bit dazed. "Good morning."

Shi Yue propped herself up and pressed a kiss on Leng Yanmi's lips.

Staring intently at her, Shi Yue asked, "Didn't sleep well? You look like you haven't woken up fully."

Leng Yanmi raised a hand to rub her temples.

The next moment, she threw off the blanket and sat up, putting on her slippers as she said, "I'll go make breakfast."

Before Shi Yue could react, her arms instinctively wrapped around Leng Yanmi's waist, stopping her from leaving.

Still lying in bed, she playfully whined, "Do you have work to do today?" Not waiting for a reply, she added in a spoiled tone, "Don't go. Stay in bed with me for a while longer."

Leng Yanmi's body didn't move, but she turned her head to look at her.

Shi Yue, not noticing anything unusual, continued planning excitedly, "It's so rare to have a day off. I don't want to do anything today. Can we just stay in bed and go nowhere?"

Amused by her childish words, Leng Yanmi asked, "Aren't you hungry?"

"No," Shi Yue replied.

She reached out, intertwining her fingers with Leng Yanmi's. "I don't know why, but today I just want to stick to you. No distance, not even a centimeter."

Her confession was so sweet it made her blush. Trying to hide her emotions, she leaned close to Leng Yanmi's ear, teasingly asking, "Is it because we've been apart for too long? What about you?"

Leng Yanmi replied, "What about me?"

Hearing this, Shi Yue pouted in dissatisfaction.

This response made it clear that Leng Yanmi wasn't entirely present. Shi Yue bit down on her earlobe in frustration and asked angrily, "Do you miss me? Do you ever want to be close to me all the time?"

Finally, Leng Yanmi turned her body to face her.

Seeing her serious expression, Shi Yue was the first to back down.

She sighed, released Leng Yanmi, and burrowed back under the covers. "Alright, I shouldn't be bothering someone as busy as you. Go do your thing."

Leng Yanmi wanted to comfort her, but the hand she extended hovered in the air, never quite reaching her.

Sensing something was off, Shi Yue looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

Leng Yanmi replied, "You're acting a bit strange today."

Shi Yue blinked in confusion, furrowing her brow. "Am I?"

Leng Yanmi continued, "It's because you've been marked."

"What?!" Shi Yue sat up, shocked.

Following Leng Yanmi's words, she touched the side of her neck, finding a faint bite mark on her gland. At the same time, a previously ignored dull ache flared up, making her wince.

As a transmigrator, although Shi Yue had inherited the body's knowledge of marking, she had never paid much attention to it.

Hearing Leng Yanmi's words, she felt more curious than anything else. Pointing to the bite mark on her neck, she asked, "So this counts as being marked?"

Leng Yanmi glanced at the mark she had left in her moment of lost control the previous night and nodded slightly. "…Yes."

Shi Yue twisted her neck, testing the feeling, and said nonchalantly, "Doesn't seem much different to me."

She spoke casually, but Leng Yanmi's face, which already didn't look great, paled even more.

It was still early in the morning, the heavy curtains blocking most of the light, so Shi Yue didn't notice the change in her mood.

"When will this mark fade?"

After a pause, Leng Yanmi replied, "Two or three days."

Shi Yue was a little worried. "It's summer now, and I can't wear high-collared clothes. If the show resumes in the next couple of days, I wonder if this can be covered up."

Her concern wasn't that she was embarrassed by the mark—it was their private business after all. She simply didn't like putting her personal matters in front of the camera.

Leng Yanmi opened her mouth but didn't speak.

After a moment, she swallowed the words she had initially wanted to say and instead reassured her, "You don't have to worry about that."

"Hm?"

"I'll take care of it," Leng Yanmi added without explaining further.

Knowing that Leng Yanmi was resourceful, Shi Yue nodded and replied softly, "Alright."

Leng Yanmi stood up. "If you're still tired, you can sleep a bit longer. I'll go make breakfast and… feed the cat."

Lying back down, Shi Yue teased, "I never thought the day would come when I'd have to compete with a fat Ragdoll cat for my wife."

Leng Yanmi smiled helplessly.

She leaned down and kissed Shi Yue's forehead, sighing as she said, "You know that's not true."

With their faces so close, their breaths mingled once again.

Shi Yue fought back the urge to grab her collar and pull her back into bed, replying with a well-behaved "Mhm."

After Leng Yanmi left the bedroom, Shi Yue realized she wasn't sleepy anymore..

Unlocking her phone, she quickly searched online for information about what happens after an Omega is marked, wanting to brush up on some basics.

Soon, her screen was filled with search results.

The first thing that caught Shi Yue's eye was a list of precautions: "In the first week after being marked, there's a high chance that an Omega will become unusually clingy. This is due to the pheromones blending, and the Omega will need ample companionship and comfort from their partner's pheromones."

"The couple may also engage in frequent intimacy during this week…"

Shi Yue blushed and buried herself under the covers, forcing herself to read through the text despite her embarrassment.

"No wonder I wanted to cling to her earlier. It's perfectly normal," she mused, frowning a little. "But why did she seem so distant? Was she planning to just… leave after last night?"

She laughed at her own ridiculous thought.

Remembering how Leng Yanmi had lost control in the bathroom last night, unable to resist her teasing, Shi Yue couldn't believe that her feelings had changed even a little.

"Then why?" Shi Yue wondered, rubbing her chin. "Was she shy?"

Being someone who favored action over thought, she quickly decided to test her theory.

So, when Leng Yanmi came to the dining room with breakfast ready, Shi Yue immediately straddled her lap.

Leng Yanmi was momentarily surprised but quickly calmed down, supporting her waist. "You don't seem that hungry."

"I'm starving," Shi Yue replied, wrapping her arms around her neck. "I'm so hungry I can't lift my hands."

With a smile, she made a bold request, "Auntie, feed me."

Without a word of complaint, Leng Yanmi picked up her favorite egg sandwich and brought it to her lips. "Alright."

Shi Yue took a bite, the rich flavors of egg and bread filling her mouth and making her appetite grow.

She pushed the sandwich toward Leng Yanmi's mouth. "It's really good. You try it."

Without a change in her expression, Leng Yanmi took a bite, chewing seriously.

Despite her formal loungewear and aloof demeanor, Shi Yue found Leng Yanmi just as irresistible as ever.

She leaned down, intending to kiss her, but Leng Yanmi stopped her.

Shi Yue wrinkled her nose, looking at her in confusion.

Leng Yanmi gently patted her back and explained, "Don't be mischievous. Someone's coming soon."

Shi Yue settled down.

She climbed off her lap and returned to her seat, eating her breakfast without a care about who might be visiting.

Around ten o'clock, the doorbell rang.

Shi Yue, hiding in the bedroom, listened as Leng Yanmi opened the door. It didn't seem like she invited the guest inside. Instead, she spoke with them at the doorway for about ten minutes.

Too far away to hear clearly, Shi Yue couldn't make out what they were discussing.

After the guest left, Leng Yanmi returned to the bedroom, holding a glass of water and a bottle of pills.

Shi Yue sat up, puzzled.

Leng Yanmi sat on the edge of the bed and said, "Take your medicine."

For a moment, Shi Yue's mind filled with dramatic palace intrigue plots.

Looking at the bottle, covered in words she didn't understand, she asked, "Birth control pills?!"

Was Leng Yanmi worried she'd use pregnancy to force her hand and claim part of the Leng family's fortune?

Unexpectedly, at the mention of birth control, Leng Yanmi was even more confused than her.

Realizing what Shi Yue meant, she burst out laughing for once. "What are you thinking?"

Shi Yue shot back, "That's what I should be asking! Leng Yanmi, what are you thinking?"

She glared at her. "What kind of medicine is this?"

Leng Yanmi sighed, picking up the bottle. "It's a pheromone stabilizer. This is the mildest one I could find."

"A pheromone stabilizer?" Shi Yue recalled seeing this term earlier when she was browsing on her phone. "Isn't that… isn't that used to calm…"

"Yes," Leng Yanmi nodded slightly.

Her gaze darkened, but she continued explaining, "If the pheromone compatibility between partners is less than 40%, or… in cases like mine, where my pheromones aren't strong enough to soothe my partner, medication is needed to stabilize the Omega's pheromone fluctuations."