TAISS – Chapter 31

On the way to the appointment.

Lin Jianheng recalled Yan Su’s strange gazes over the past few days and felt a sense of unease.

Even back when she had just returned and Yan Su didn’t trust her, her expression had never been this odd.

Back then, Yan Su was just cold. Every day, she wore a mask of ice while doing things that went against her will.

But after all this time, Yan Su had already let down her guard, to the point where she would even laze around in bed in front of her.

So why was she looking at her with such resentment now?

Could it be that she had recovered her memories and wanted to kill her?

Lin Jianheng swallowed, goosebumps rising on her back. The thought was horrifying.

No, please no. After all the effort she’d put into raising this little cat, for her to recover her memories and prepare to kill her… where would she even go to cry?

Lin Jianheng didn’t want Yan Su to have another identity, and she certainly didn’t want to be forced into anything by her.

She was so worried she pulled out two strands of hair. To preserve her pitifully thinning hair, she finally opened the new forum she had found.

Might as well ask the netizens. What if her sister didn’t want to kill her, but was just on her period or something and wasn’t feeling well?

Lin Jianheng nervously typed out the title.

【The succubus I accidentally bought back keeps glaring at me after rubbing against me. Does she want to kill me?】

She agonized over the wording several times before posting it.

This was a more niche and daring app she had found through the previous forum.

Inside, she occasionally saw people discussing succubi, incubi, and other rare members of the Demon Clan in the Empire. It should be able to answer her questions.

Lin Jianheng didn’t plan on checking the replies right away. She was afraid the comments would tell her that succubi were indeed a fickle and heartless race, that all of Yan Su’s previous cuteness was a ploy to cheat her of her money, and that once they were thriving, Yan Su would run off with all her funds.

Lin Jianheng didn’t care much about money. Having lived a frugal life, she now had so much money from her family that she didn’t know what to do with it. For her, as long as she had enough, it was fine.

She could casually transfer ten million to Yan Su as pocket money.

Lin Jianheng would rather Yan Su truly be after her money.

What was money, anyway? She was a Jian, and a member of the royal family. She would have plenty of money, enough to last ten lifetimes.

But she only had this one little cat.

Of course, she could give Yan Su money. But at the very least, she hoped she wouldn’t run away after taking it.

Lin Jianheng closed the app and took a deep breath. She had just arrived at the place where Li Zhaoge had asked to meet.

She got out of the car, her movements still somewhat reluctant and sluggish.

As she got closer, she realized the meeting place was a private therapy center that provided services like relaxation and spiritual power recovery for its clients.

Perhaps this is Li Zhaoge’s private business, Lin Jianheng mused as she pushed the door open.

She had informed Li Zhaoge when she set out, so upon entering, an attendant led her to Li Zhaoge’s private room.

The interior of the therapy center was quite spacious. Lin Jianheng glanced at the decor, which was somewhat similar to a hot spring hotel she had visited with her best friend in her original world.

Perhaps Canglin Zhixian chose this location? The attendant pushed open a door, leaving Lin Jianheng no more time to think as she stepped inside.

“Miss Jian, please change into our store’s specially made pressure bracelet and put on this yukata first,” the attendant said, presenting a prepared set.

Great, so I have to get frank with Canglin Zhixian. All that time she spent worrying about what to wear was for nothing.

Lin Jianheng slipped into the changing room. She fiddled with the bracelet but decided not to put it on for now, though she did change into the yukata and swimsuit.

Two minutes later, she was lying in the hot spring pool, staring at the ceiling with a blank mind.

The room’s temperature was comfortable, not too hot, and the ethereal, soothing music made it an excellent place to de-stress.

Lin Jianheng floated along with the water for a while but didn’t see Li Zhaoge.

Her head was also submerged in the hot spring, so she no longer cared.

If Canglin Zhixian didn’t show up today, or if even Li Zhaoge stood her up, spending two hours swimming here would be nice too. When she got back, she could find out what her succubus sister was up to.

Next time, I’ll bring Yan Su along…

Lin Jianheng slowly closed her eyes.

In the moment she sank beneath the water’s surface, fragmented memories unexpectedly invaded her spiritual space.

The warmth of the hot spring was so much like amniotic fluid that Lin Jianheng mistakenly thought she had returned to her fetal stage, still swimming in her mother’s womb inside an eggshell.

She couldn’t see or hear clearly; all five senses were muffled. Only memories trickled into her mind, bit by bit.

She saw the flames of war, the ever-shrinking border, messy arguments, the disparity in strength between friend and foe.

She saw her mother’s memories, inheriting her desire for unification, the pain of failing to reclaim lost lands.

At the end of the memory, Lin Jianheng saw the future, the past.

In that recollection, she saw a familiar fiery red, like a blooming butterfly rose.

That person turned to meet her gaze, their eyes the color of the azure sea, frozen like frost.

It was but a fleeting eternity.

Lin Jianheng’s eyes snapped open. The memories faded into fragments, becoming beads of sweat dripping from her temple.

She had actually seen Yan Su in her mother’s memories.

When it came down to it… her Sister Yan’s identity was a mystery, and her age was unclear.

Judging by her face, she had always assumed Yan Su was about the same age as Jian Lingxuan, somewhere around thirty.

But this was the Empire, and succubi were a different race from humans. Even humans weren’t the kind Lin Jianheng was familiar with—they were viviparous, requiring a partner to incubate their eggs, had only one gender, and possessed pheromones, spiritual power, and special abilities.

What if—and Lin Jianheng was just saying what if—the succubus race could live for five hundred years, and Yan Su was already over a hundred?

If she was the suspected king of the Demon Clan and had met her mother, the former King Canglin Diexun, it didn’t seem so hard to accept.

But if they knew each other, did that mean Yan Su had known about her a long time ago?

Was Yan Su’s amnesia also related to her, or her mother?

Lin Jianheng was slightly dazed, her hard-won calm shattering once again.

The door opened at just the right moment.

Li Zhaoge wasn’t wearing a yukata, only a one-piece swimsuit.

Her expression was serene, as if she hadn’t just taken off her white robe because Lin Jianheng was there.

As expected of a celebrity, her figure was exquisite and graceful.

Li Zhaoge was only twenty-six this year, possessing a mature charm that hovered between ripeness and youth.

It was enough to make even the listless Lin Jianheng lift her head for a look.

“Just you?” After a glance, she lost interest. Lin Jianheng was simply appreciating her, mentally sighing at how toned Li Zhaoge was, with no other thoughts.

Her reaction seemed different from when she saw Yan Su.

Lin Jianheng’s mind wandered as she pondered what this meant.

But I’m straight, so isn’t it normal to not feel anything?

Lin Jianheng settled back down, pushing her floatie backward to make room for Li Zhaoge.

“Xiao Heng knew,” Li Zhaoge said, seemingly having been here many times. She entered the water with practiced ease, splashing water onto half of Lin Jianheng’s face.

Lin Jianheng splashed a handful back at her. “Weren’t we supposed to talk about the friend request? The main person isn’t even here. Don’t tell me it’s really just the two of us talking.”

Li Zhaoge closed her eyes, accepting the splash. Her slightly blue, curly hair was instantly soaked.

She didn’t seem to mind, brushing away the strands obscuring her vision as she swam to Lin Jianheng’s side.

“Actually, that’s not entirely out of the question.” If it was just that Li Zhaoge happened to be free and wanted to see Lin Jianheng in her capacity as her fiancée.

The hot spring pool wasn’t deep. She could stand steadily in it as she extended a hand to Lin Jianheng, who was lounging on the floatie, in a gesture of invitation.

Her etiquette was still that of a royal knight.

Lin Jianheng laughed, placing her hand on Li Zhaoge’s. “That won’t do. You all still haven’t told me what you owe me. How can you just send me away like this?”

“Soon, Xiao Heng. I don’t want to hide it from you.” It was currently three against two, but unfortunately, the decision of when and whether to tell Lin Jianheng rested with Canglin Jingyuan. Without her order, the three of them couldn’t say anything, or they would be branded as traitors.

Canglin Jingyuan was a despotic monarch who would not tolerate defiance.

The sword scar from that day was a warning for her acting on her own.

“So where is she?” Lin Jianheng understood.

Canglin Jingyuan. What did she want to do to her?

Did she have a hand in her transmigration to that other world? What about her best friend?

Was Princess Zhixian just her pawn, an experiment? Was that why Zhixian was so terrified when they faced off that day, so afraid of returning to the Imperial Palace?

“She’s still changing. No rush,” Li Zhaoge said, suddenly pulling Lin Jianheng into the water.

Lin Jianheng stumbled and fell into Li Zhaoge’s arms.

…It was a different kind of suppleness from Yan Su’s, with a distinct muscular texture, slightly firmer.

Yet, it was equally captivating.

Her eyelashes fluttered, blinking the hot spring water away. Lin Jianheng suddenly pinched Li Zhaoge and, after breaking free from her embrace, splashed water at her several times.

It was an obvious act of avoidance.

Li Zhaoge tilted her head and chuckled softly. “Why are you still acting like a child?”

“And you? My noble and upright Knight Sister, what was that for, pulling me into the water out of the blue?” Was it a hint? Lin Jianheng didn’t think of it in a romantic way at all.

When facing anyone other than Yan Su, she was still very much “straight.”

She had been looking at Li Zhaoge’s swimsuit for a good ten minutes without feeling the slightest bit of heat.

Li Zhaoge, on the other hand, blushed at her words and turned to look at her slowly.

“Guess?” She always called her Knight Sister, which was so… suggestive.

Lin Jianheng couldn’t be bothered to play guessing games with her knight and was about to retaliate.

A strange voice with a familiar tone tumbled into the hot spring pool.

“Bestie! My dear bestie, you’ve been waiting long!~” It was Xu Yuantong’s tone.

It was probably because of her nickname for Lin Jianheng and her affectionate attitude that Xu Yuantong was repeatedly mistaken for a straight girl in their original world and remained single to this day.

But this overly familiar attitude made Lin Jianheng frown.

“I don’t know you,” she said, looking at Xu Yuantong, or rather, Canglin Zhixian.

The person before her clearly had Princess Zhixian’s appearance, with the royal family’s distinctive purple eyes.

Her figure wasn’t like Xu Yuantong’s either. For a moment, Lin Jianheng even thought that Li Zhaoge had brought them here specifically so she could judge from her physique that this person was not Xu Yuantong.

“Huh?” Zhixian seemed a little confused and moved closer. “But, you’re Xiao Jianheng, right? I’m Xu Yuantong, bestie.”

Zhixian thought Lin Jianheng just hadn’t recognized her.

Lin Jianheng raised an eyebrow, trying her best not to give herself away. “My surname is Jian, my given name is Heng. The ‘Jian’ from ‘simple,’ and the ‘Heng’ with the king radical next to the character for ‘person.’ I don’t know any Xu Yuantong. Are you sure the Xiao Jianheng you’re talking about is me?”

Zhixian was clearly stumped.

The scar Lin Jianheng had left on her neck last time was still there. It was faint, but with them being so exposed, Lin Jianheng could see it clearly.

Lin Jianheng observed Canglin Zhixian intently, completely baffled as to why she was so certain of her identity.

And…

If this was a conversation between the two of them, what role was Li Zhaoge playing by standing aside?

Canglin Zhixian’s gaze shifted noticeably, meeting Li Zhaoge’s eyes.

Lin Jianheng followed her gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.

“…Your Highness, it is her,” Li Zhaoge said, steeling herself and avoiding Lin Jianheng’s eyes.

Lin Jianheng wasn’t even surprised that the royal family, or rather, the people involved in this matter, knew her name from that other world.

After all, wasn’t the thing Jian Lingxuan had been chasing her to tell her that day about her name coming from her mother?

Jianheng, Jian Heng.

But a name alone couldn’t be enough for Xu Yuantong to be so certain, could it?

Her best friend wasn’t that foolish.

Although, aside from that one time she was sick as a child, Xu Yuantong had been spoiled by her family growing up, had never really suffered, and had a very good personality.

But she was still a working adult. She wouldn’t lack basic intelligence or caution towards unfamiliar things.

“There must be plenty of people with the same name,” Lin Jianheng’s explanation sounded less convincing this time.

Xu Yuantong tilted her head, looking puzzled for a second, then suddenly grinned. “The kitten goes out to find a radish.”

Lin Jianheng subconsciously replied, “The puppy jumps on the hillside.”

“I knew it was you, and you were still pretending with me.” Hearing the correct code, Xu Yuantong swam over to Lin Jianheng and bumped her.

Lin Jianheng covered her face. Damn it, it’s become a habit.

This couplet was something they had made up when they were kids playing together, to confirm each other’s identities and make sure their parents weren’t impersonating them.

As children, they would exchange the code several times a day, laughing like it was a game.

After middle school, they got phones. Lin Jianheng’s family didn’t control her much, but Xu Yuantong’s family was strict. Sometimes, Xu Yuantong’s mother would pretend to be her and talk to Lin Jianheng, trying to pry into Xu Yuantong’s recent private life.

So the code became a habit between them. Across two worlds, only the two of them knew this meaningless and somewhat counterintuitive couplet.

“Wow, you’ve become such a beauty now. If we were still in our world, you’d be drowning in love letters.”

After confirming each other’s identities, Xu Yuantong became more relaxed. Her words were the same as in their previous life, always focused on love and relationships.

“Who wants love letters? Such a waste of paper. I’d rather they send me a piece of chocolate. At least that can replenish my energy,” Lin Jianheng replied naturally and familiarly.

It wasn’t like she had never received love letters before. Most were from guys, some so direct that Lin Jianheng still remembered them and felt annoyed just thinking about it.

“You’re still so practical. That’s a relief.” Xu Yuantong patted Lin Jianheng’s back and slung an arm around her shoulders like a good buddy.

Lin Jianheng subconsciously linked arms with her.

For a fleeting moment, she felt like she was back in high school in her previous life.

During the most grueling exam preparation period, Xu Yuantong would prepare cooling oil and refreshing coffee for her, and she would help Xu Yuantong with her homework. Every day, they would lean against the hallway railing.

Occasionally, Xu Yuantong would point out pretty junior girls to her, or excitedly pat her on the back to tell her that so-and-so in their class had a crush on her.

Life back then was exhausting, but simple.

The only goal in life was the college entrance exam. Everything was quantified, calculable, and attainable.

“You’re still the same, too.” If the soul inside this body was really Xu Yuantong, Lin Jianheng thought, she would find a private place and have a good cry.

They had met again across two worlds, and they were still as close as ever.

Provided… this closeness came with no ulterior motives.

Lin Jianheng instinctively wanted to tell Xu Yuantong many things, to ask her about getting along with people of the same sex, to ask her what all the things she had done with Yan Su really meant.

But reason slammed on the brakes, preventing her from revealing her innermost thoughts.

Unfortunately, on her end, their friendship had already been tainted.

“This is a rare opportunity. We have to have a good chat today.” Xu Yuantong tugged on Lin Jianheng, wanting to lead her aside.

But Li Zhaoge followed them unhurriedly, like a human listening device.

“…I’m having a private chat with my best friend. Do you have to follow us?”

It was because of them. Lin Jianheng turned her head to look at Li Zhaoge, her gaze devoid of any warmth.

An icy chill ran down her spine. Li Zhaoge lowered her lashes, showing no intention of leaving.

Lin Jianheng felt weary.

This was the reason she couldn’t tell Xu Yuantong everything.

Regardless of their souls or their feelings, they were no longer the ordinary students they once were.

“I see.” Li Zhaoge wasn’t her knight at all.

Li Zhaoge was a knight of the royal family. She didn’t take orders from her alone; there was at least one person whose authority surpassed hers—Canglin Jingyuan.

Lin Jianheng closed her eyes and slowly exhaled.

“It’s fine, let’s just stay here. Let me tell you, yesterday I tried a local specialty, I think it was from the Yinyao Star System…” Lin Jianheng chose some safe, everyday topics.

The two of them chatted for over an hour. The topics didn’t repeat, but there was no mention of the novel Xu Yuantong was reading before Lin Jianheng transmigrated back.

Lin Jianheng couldn’t tell if Xu Yuantong had forgotten or was deliberately hiding it, so she simply didn’t bring it up.

Throughout the conversation, Xu Yuantong’s behavior was actually very strange. She was so naive and cheerful it was unbelievable, as if she had accepted the fact of transmigration with ease.

One had to remember that in their original world, Xu Yuantong’s life was much more comfortable than her own. She had a good job with a nine-to-five schedule, weekends off, a monthly salary over ten thousand, full benefits, and no overtime. She had caring parents. As an only child, she had no siblings, and the two family properties were all hers.

Her love life wasn’t particularly good or bad, but at least she had never been heartbroken and was always meeting new crushes.

How could such a person, after suddenly transmigrating and meeting someone from her hometown—her best friend, no less—not break down and cry?

No matter how good life was here, she didn’t know anyone.

Besides, the royal court was such a complex environment.

Lin Jianheng went along with Xu Yuantong’s topics. It was fine; Xu Yuantong had always been the more talkative one between them, chattering away. Their interaction felt quite natural.

Just as they were talking about the pretty girls here, and Xu Yuantong’s topic was about to shift to Li Zhaoge…

Lin Jianheng’s spiritual space was suddenly poked.

It was a distinct, abnormal feeling. Lin Jianheng stopped talking and entered her spiritual space, where she saw a message from Yan Su.

A string of incomprehensible gibberish, along with emotions of fear, regret, and pain.

Lin Jianheng immediately stood up from the hot spring.

“I think something happened to my sister. I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Is it urgent? I’ll take you,” Li Zhaoge, who had been silent for a while, followed her.

“No, my driver is waiting at the door.” Sister Liu was practically Lin Jianheng’s exclusive driver. Since she had nothing to do today, Lin Jianheng had asked her to wait, partly in case their talk went sour and she needed to leave quickly.

“…Alright, be careful.” Li Zhaoge’s hand, hanging by her side, clenched tightly.

Water from her wet hair dripped onto her skin.

Leaving streaks like tears.

Lin Jianheng didn’t reply. She grabbed her clothes, not even having time to change, and got into the car wearing the yukata, planning to change on the way.

Under normal circumstances, Yan Su wouldn’t poke her spiritual space like this, much less leave such a cryptic message.

Please be okay… Lin Jianheng closed the car door and told Sister Liu to drive home at maximum speed, while also contacting Lu Yuanchen, telling her she might need her to come over.

Back in the room, Xu Yuantong was still soaking in the hot spring. She hadn’t followed, as if she had no intention of keeping Lin Jianheng there.

She watched Li Zhaoge’s movements with a subconscious flicker of excitement, which quickly died down.

“Your Highness, you should get up too. I’ll take you back.” When Li Zhaoge turned around, the loneliness in her eyes was already concealed.

Xu Yuantong couldn’t hold back in the end and asked her, her tone as innocent as before, “Aren’t you her fiancée? Why do you look so heartbroken?”

“…Your Highness, I am not her fiancée.” Lin Jianheng’s fiancée was someone else; she was merely a scapegoat.

Li Zhaoge had known this for a long time. When Lin Jianheng was still a minor, she had marked someone and threatened to elope if she couldn’t marry her.

The Jian family had no choice and had agreed at the time, even preparing to make a public announcement.

But then, the person Lin Jianheng had marked disappeared for some unknown reason. To save face, they found her to stand in for an engagement.

Besides Lin Jianheng’s closest family and herself, no one knew that Lin Jianheng had ever had a lover.

Back then, Lin Jianheng’s eyes were filled with loneliness as she looked at the wind. The wind carried her emotions to her, but only warmth remained—she had always been this good, warm and gentle, the person their knight order was most willing to follow.

When Lin Jianheng noticed her arrival, she had said in a hoarse voice, “Sorry, Knight Sister, for putting you through this fake engagement with me.”

At that moment, she had knelt on one knee and sworn that she would never have any ulterior motives towards Lin Jianheng.

But…

A person like Lin Jianheng, just by standing there, was dazzling enough, the most brilliant sun in the Empire.

How many people could resist her unconscious charm, her occasional mischievous whims, and the constant gentleness by her side?

Li Zhaoge thought that she had already made many mistakes.

“Let’s go then. I’ve sent a new friend request. Do you think she’ll accept?”

Xu Yuantong was genuinely curious if her straight best friend had been turned by anyone after coming to this world.

She thought Li Zhaoge was a great candidate. On the surface, she was a big star, talented and beautiful, a top celebrity from the moment she debuted. Behind the scenes, she was a member of the Royal Guard with a military rank, known for being serious and aloof.

Yet, she was only warm towards Lin Jianheng, often taking her home, her occasional, restrained closeness making her usual asceticism all the more alluring.

Unfortunately, her best friend seemed to be as straight as ever, probably completely oblivious to Li Zhaoge’s interest in her.

“She probably will.” The two ended their conversation and went to their respective rooms to change.

A meeting had ended. It seemed like nothing was discussed, yet it also seemed like everything was clear.

---

Lin Jianheng clutched her chest, trying desperately to find Yan Su through her spiritual power, but she couldn’t enter her spiritual space no matter what.

She was frantic, wishing she could use warp technology for such a short distance, or that her special ability was spatial, allowing her to quickly teleport home.

Q Net had to bother her at a time like this. Annoyed, Lin Jianheng opened it and saw a friend request from Xu Yuantong.

It even had the Canglin Zhixian identity verification.

After Lin Jianheng accepted, several messages immediately popped up.

【Gagaga, you finally accepted!】

【Sigh, I told you several times it was me, but you didn’t believe me.】

【Besides, who else would call you that?】

【It gets old saying it over and over. Let’s not talk about that. How about we hang out in a few days when we’re free?】

【Weekdays are good, so we don’t have to deal with the weekend crowds.】

Then came two cat emojis.

Lin Jianheng frowned, forced to divert her attention from her worry for Yan Su.

“Gagaga” was another code word between her and Xu Yuantong.

If something happened, they would start with that phrase.

The English word formed by the first pinyin letter of the first character of each sentence, from there until the next emoji, was what they really wanted to say.

It was usually used for asking for help, though Xu Yuantong had once used it to signal that her mom was next to her and not to mention her score of 400 on the monthly exam.

Lin Jianheng looked at the resulting “HELP” and felt truly exhausted.

Could she just take her succubus sister back to her original world?

At least there, the only thing she had to worry about was money.

Lin Jianheng replied with a “Sure” and closed her eyes to calm her emotions.

Fortunately, the therapy center Li Zhaoge had chosen was close to home.

Five minutes later, Lin Jianheng finally arrived. Lu Yuanchen’s car was already there.

“You can’t connect to her spiritual space? I suspect she’s fainted,” Lu Yuanchen said as she got out of the car. A resentful Jian Lingxuan was sitting in the back.

“Yes, let’s go up first.” Lin Jianheng realized she had forgotten to report to Jian Lingxuan again.

But it had happened so suddenly, and she was so anxious, she had no mind to coax her petty sister. She led Lu Yuanchen upstairs.

As she took the elevator, Lin Jianheng felt a pang of regret. Last time, waiting for this elevator had made her heart race with anxiety, and here she was again.

She should just move into the villa with Yan Su; it only had one floor.

Lin Jianheng opened the door and rushed into the apartment, calling out for Yan Su. “Sister Yan? Sister? Yan Su?”

No response.

A cold sweat broke out on Lin Jianheng. In her peripheral vision, she saw a flash of fiery red.

She turned her head and saw Yan Su collapsed at the kitchen entrance, motionless.

“Yan Su!” Lin Jianheng sprinted over in two steps and gathered the fallen Yan Su into her arms.

But Yan Su didn’t open her eyes. Her lips were bitten tightly, and her body felt lighter than usual.

It was as if her life had already slipped away, as if she would never open her eyes again.

The person in her arms had just hugged her this morning; just last night they had kissed, bitten…

Fear reached its peak. The emotions Lin Jianheng had been desperately suppressing completely collapsed, and her spiritual power scattered in all directions.

“Sister Yan, sister, no…” The tears she had been holding back all this time finally streamed down her face. Lin Jianheng didn’t even dare to check for Yan Su’s breath.

“Pulse is stable, breathing is normal. She just fainted… probably from exhaustion and fatigue.”

Lu Yuanchen finally caught up, extending her spiritual power to block Lin Jianheng’s uncontrolled outburst. She reached out and gave Yan Su a preliminary check.

A tear fell onto Yan Su’s clothes.

Lin Jianheng abruptly retracted her spiritual power. She could barely maintain her sitting posture and fell back against the kitchen door, letting out a breath. “As long as she just fainted…”

She had truly thought for a moment that while she was being held up in a meaningless conversation, something terrible had happened to her little cat.

“She should wake up within two hours. But to be safe, I suggest you take her for a check-up, and a physical exam while you’re at it.” Lu Yuanchen was a true professional, her words instantly calming Lin Jianheng’s heart.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you. I… I have no strength left. Is there a stretcher or something?” Lin Jianheng had just been on an emotional rollercoaster, her heart rate plummeting from its peak. She was drenched in sweat.

Forget carrying Yan Su downstairs, she didn’t even have the strength to stand up.

“No need for that trouble.” Lu Yuanchen prepared to just carry Yan Su down herself.

Her idea was reasonable; it would be faster and more convenient.

Just as her hand was about to touch the corner of Yan Su’s clothes, Lin Jianheng suddenly interrupted.

“…Uh, I think, um, I’ll do it myself. Just give me two minutes to rest.”

For some reason, the moment she saw Lu Yuanchen about to hold Yan Su, a sharp pang of jealousy flared in Lin Jianheng’s chest, so painful she couldn’t bear it.

Only after she instinctively stopped her did the unpleasant feeling slowly dissipate.

“Don’t force yourself.” Lu Yuanchen stepped aside, understanding.

A high-grade Alpha’s possessiveness was terrifying. It had taken her years to properly train Jian Lingxuan.

Lin Jianheng probably hadn’t reached that stage yet. Even if Lu Yuanchen was an Omega, she couldn’t touch a single hair on Yan Su.

“I won’t. Sister is very light,” Lin Jianheng said, steadying her breathing and wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She slowly moved over and held her little cat.

She had been too anxious, too worried. Yan Su’s body was still warm, even a little hotter than usual. She could only have fainted.

But it was all her fault. How could she have waited until Yan Su fainted to realize something was wrong with her?

She should have agreed to Lu Yuanchen’s suggestion last time and taken Yan Su for a full physical.

“It’s okay, sister, it’s okay…” Lin Jianheng whispered in Yan Su’s ear, though she was really saying it to herself.

“You’ll recover soon, I’ll take you to the doctor…” She lifted Yan Su into her arms.

An unconscious little cat should have been heavier than usual, but Lin Jianheng didn’t feel like she was using much strength.

“Good girl, just think of it as taking a nap.” She supported Yan Su with one arm and grasped her hand with the other.

She slipped her fingers between hers, wanting to hold her hand like before.

The unconscious Yan Su shouldn’t have reacted, her five fingers naturally curled, brushing against the back of Lin Jianheng’s hand intentionally or not.

But as they went downstairs, Lin Jianheng still felt a spasm.

She looked down and saw that Yan Su was holding her hand tightly.

Even unconscious, she had to have her fingers intertwined with hers.

---

After getting in the car, Lin Jianheng still held Yan Su tightly, patting her back again and again, as if she were the one who had lulled this pixie to sleep, to the point where she couldn’t respond to the outside world.

For once, Jian Lingxuan didn’t mock her and even asked with concern.

“Sister-in-law said it’s exhaustion and fatigue,” Lin Jianheng said, feeling quite embarrassed.

Yan Su had been a bit more lethargic than usual these past two days. It was her fault for not noticing something was wrong.

“What did you two do to tire her out like this?” Jian Lingxuan’s expression towards Lin Jianheng was off.

“Aren’t you, uh, against marriage?” This anti-marriage person had previously thrown a fit about marrying some wild woman she met somewhere, dragging their whole family into it and forcing them to beg Li Zhaoge to act as her fiancée.

“I swear I didn’t do anything!” All they did was kiss.

To be precise, she was the one biting Yan Su.

How could that be tiring?

“You’d better have really not done anything. If the check-up reveals you did something, you’ll be the one who’s embarrassed,” Jian Lingxuan tsked, not believing Lin Jianheng’s “straight girl” act from the start.

What kind of anti-marriage, asexual, platonic person marks someone before they’re even an adult?

The funniest part was that the wild woman ran away.

Fortunately, Lin Jianheng didn’t remember, so she could start a new relationship now, which wasn’t bad.

“We’ll see,” Lin Jianheng retorted. After a few rounds of bickering with Jian Lingxuan, she finally relaxed a bit. Her arms holding Yan Su were no longer stiff, and she shifted her position to let Yan Su rest comfortably on her shoulder.

Their hands were still clasped. Yan Su, in her unconscious sleep, held on tighter than ever.

At the hospital, Lu Yuanchen first gave Yan Su an injection of a mixed nutrient solution.

She personally handled all the subsequent examinations. Lin Jianheng waited outside the examination room, breathing in and out to calm herself.

Jian Lingxuan was just there for the excitement. She was actually very busy, so seeing that things were fine here, she paid the bill and left.

Lin Jianheng sat alone on the bench, suddenly feeling the urge to cry, and then suddenly laughing out loud.

She twitched, took a sharp breath, and tried to expand her spiritual power.

She had truly been on the verge of a spiritual power collapse just now, as if hallucinating, firmly believing that Yan Su had passed away.

But she should have felt her body temperature when she held her.

A normal person in that situation wouldn’t immediately assume the other person was dead, but would check their breathing to see if they had fainted.

Was it because of those hidden, overly dirty fantasies of hers?

She did, in fact, often imagine Yan Su’s death.

But it was always at her own hands, with the focus on the subsequent devouring.

She would eat Yan Su bit by bit, making them completely one.

But she also knew she was human, not a beast. She had self-control and would never do such a thing.

Had those bloody fantasies altered her perception?

Or…

Had she truly experienced parting with Yan Su, perhaps more than once?

Lin Jianheng couldn’t help but think of the memories inherited from her mother.

They were few and fragmented. Only Yan Su’s glance, the distant azure blue, the fiery red of a butterfly rose, remained clear even now.

Savoring it now, however, Lin Jianheng felt it wasn’t an inheritance.

It was as if she truly was Canglin Diexun, had truly experienced the flames of war, the pain of being unable to reclaim lost lands, the anguish of her soldiers’ deaths, the regret of unfulfilled wishes, and…

The heart-wrenching separation from that person with sea-blue eyes and red hair.

…What was this? Who was she, really?

What had Canglin Diexun done to her?

Lin Jianheng pressed her temples, enduring a storm.

“Xiao Heng, are you okay?” A slightly misty voice broke the heavy silence.

Lin Jianheng closed her eyes, pulling herself out of her thoughts, and looked at Feng Xiangqi beside her.

“Ah, I’m fine, just a little tired.” Lin Jianheng took the cup Feng Xiangqi handed her but didn’t drink.

Feng Xiangqi had gotten her hot tea, and just holding it brought some comfort.

“Running to the hospital every other day is tiring. This time it’s…” Feng Xiangqi sat down next to Lin Jianheng, looking at her without a trace, trying to confirm if she remembered her.

“Ah, it’s my Sister Yan’s health again.” Lin Jianheng forced a smile, ignoring her probing gaze.

“What about you? Don’t you have patients at this hour?” It was noon. Did dentists have lunch breaks?

“I just finished.” Feng Xiangqi wanted to say more, but when she opened her mouth, she didn’t know what to say.

Actually, she and Lin Jianheng hadn’t spent much time together before. Most of the time, Lin Jianheng would follow Lu Yuanchen around the hospital, and the two of them would chat or go out to eat.

Feng Xiangqi didn’t know her well, but Lin Jianheng fit the requirements many Omegas had for a partner.

High-grade pheromones, emotionally stable, considerate and gentle, and good at finding topics for conversation…

After getting sick and coming back this time, she had become much quieter.

Feng Xiangqi couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

The tea went from warm to cold. The door to the examination room opened.

Lin Jianheng shot up, her attention not on Feng Xiangqi at all.

Feng Xiangqi couldn’t help but look up at Lin Jianheng, the light in her eyes extinguished by the shadow Lin Jianheng cast.

“Thank you for the tea, Sister Feng.” Lin Jianheng handed the cup back to Feng Xiangqi, giving her one last smile before she left.

It was polite enough, but a bit more distant than when they first met.

The examination room door closed. Feng Xiangqi looked down at the teacup and curled her lips into a smile.

She downed it in one gulp, a mouthful of cold bitterness.

Lin Jianheng hadn’t drunk the tea she gave her.

Perhaps this was as far as they would go.

When Lin Jianheng entered the examination room, Yan Su hadn’t woken up yet.

There were some monitoring devices attached to her arms and head, which made Lin Jianheng’s heart ache.

“She’s not awake yet?” Lin Jianheng held Yan Su’s hand, and this time, she received an unconscious response from the succubus.

“Half an hour.” Lu Yuanchen displayed the results of the examination.

Yan Su had undergone a full physical, with every organ checked.

Her physical data was projected, but unfortunately, Lin Jianheng hadn’t studied medicine, and some of her knowledge was from her previous life’s medical common sense, so she couldn’t understand much.

Lu Yuanchen explained them one by one. “First, thankfully, your succubus’s organs show no signs of disease. But she’s still a young adult succubus, so the probability of disease was low to begin with.”

Young adult… Lin Jianheng paused, wondering what the average lifespan of the succubus race was.

She hoped it wouldn’t turn into the succubus taking care of her in her old age. That would be sad.

The best-case scenario, of course, was for them to leave this world together, with no one having any more attachments.

“Secondly, your succubus’s various conditions are not just excellent, they could be described as destructive. Her spiritual power level has reached SS, and we’ve observed fluctuations, so it’s possible she could reach the peak 3S level in the future. As for her pheromones, the succubus race has always had excellent pheromone levels, and yours is a standout, easily breaking through 3S.”

“Finally, this is something I’ve personally observed but haven’t reported yet. She seems to be awakening a special ability. ‘Awakening’ isn’t quite accurate. Generally, Empire residents awaken their special abilities during puberty, or at the latest before they turn thirty. Your succubus, based on her physical data, has far surpassed that age. I don’t know why she would still be awakening a special ability.”

She couldn’t hide it. Lin Jianheng had anticipated this when she sent Yan Su into this examination room.

But unlike before, when she didn’t want to cause trouble, Lin Jianheng now had the conviction to protect Yan Su at all costs.

Besides, Yan Su’s health was more important.

She couldn’t let Yan Su suffer in pain just because of her own selfishness.

“So how old is Sister Yan, exactly?” But right now, Lin Jianheng was more concerned about this question.

“We couldn’t determine it. She seems to have suffered a major blow at some point, so even her bone age can’t be fully measured… Our test results show 25 years old, but her other data doesn’t match a succubus of that age. A 25-year-old succubus is still a baby, you can think of it as equivalent to a twelve-year-old human.”

Although the age of majority for long-lived races was uniformly set at eighteen, in hospital examinations, doctors would still make adjustments based on the situation of each race.

Lin Jianheng’s face went blank.

So she was raising… a little succubus sister?

Lin Jianheng was a bit confused.

“Don’t worry too much, Xiao Heng. She’s your succubus. Even with such high spiritual power, as long as she keeps her spiritual space open to you, the Empire won’t do anything to her.”

Besides, Yan Su was currently an unregistered resident.

And, from a certain perspective, connecting to the Star Net was for convenient management and preventing loss of control, as well as for royal family members to monitor those with extremely high spiritual power and special abilities.

Yan Su’s status as a succubus and an unregistered resident wasn’t enough for them to go to the trouble of monitoring her.

Having Lin Jianheng watch her was enough.

To Lin Jianheng, however, this sounded like the royal family was doing her a favor.

As if to say, we won’t touch your succubus, so next time we ask for you, you’d better be obedient. That way, it’s good for both of us.

It was such a blatant threat, yet Lin Jianheng couldn’t refute it.

She had to admit, this time, they had her by her weak spot.

The subject was Yan Su, so Lin Jianheng didn’t feel annoyed.

She would bow her head this once. It just depended on when the royal family needed her.

“Now for the reason she fainted this time. Your succubus is in poor health, suffering from long-term malnutrition and being underweight. This is also the reason she fainted. Xiao Heng, I’m not trying to make things difficult for you or make you feel ashamed. But tell your sister-in-law, have you not been marking her recently? Was it to, um… punish her?”

Lu Yuanchen asked with a perfectly straight face.

Her inner thoughts were so complex that Lin Jianheng couldn’t guess them.

Here comes the real-life soap opera. Lu Yuanchen’s ears perked up.

“Huh? I, I haven’t been for the past two days, but it wasn’t a punishment.”

If it weren’t for Lu Yuanchen’s preemptive disclaimer, Lin Jianheng would have been so embarrassed she’d be angry.

But since the doctor was asking, there must be a reason.

Lin Jianheng could only blush, biting her lip, feeling truly ashamed and embarrassed.

“It really wasn’t a punishment…” Although on the night Yan Su tried to induce her susceptible period, she did have that intention.

But, but, but, didn’t she ask Yan Su afterward if she wanted to be marked?

She even asked several times! And each time, Yan Su would just stare at her with that resentful look and not say yes. How was she supposed to give it to her?

“Then why didn’t you mark her? You used to mark her quite frequently, right?” Lu Yuanchen was a bit confused.

Logically, when Lin Jianheng returned to their world, even without her memories, she was very proactive in marking, taking up her Alpha duties and taking good care of her succubus. She had even asked Jian Lingxuan what to do about pheromone deficiency.

How was it that after living here for over a month, she suddenly didn’t know she should be marking?

“Because, because!” Lin Jianheng had to defend herself.

“She didn’t mention it, and I, I, I did ask her, I asked her, um, to tell me if she needed to be marked…”

As Lin Jianheng spoke, her head drooped, her entire face burning like soft glass, completely red.

“She didn’t ask for it, so I thought I had made her uncomfortable with the previous markings and…” Oh god, why am I so embarrassed talking about this with Lu Yuanchen?

It’s not a big deal, right? It’s just a mark.

Lin Jianheng gripped her skirt tightly, closing her eyes and holding her breath until even her hair felt like it was on fire.

Was it because recently, whenever she thought of marking, the things that followed made her shy?

Like that time during her susceptible period when she helped wipe Yan Su clean, or before when she used her spiritual power inside her body…

Poof. Her amber hair exploded like popcorn. Lin Jianheng was already burnt to a crisp.

Seeing her looking like she was new to all this, Lu Yuanchen suddenly realized.

“Xiao Heng, you… did you not read the gland exercise manual I gave you carefully?”

She knew she had written down how to raise a succubus for Lin Jianheng.

She was a considerate sister-in-law, and knowing that Lin Jianheng currently lacked the Empire’s physiological knowledge, she had written it very carefully.

Although, Jian Lingxuan was the one who typed, formatted, and organized it, while she stood by and told Jian Lingxuan what to write using her spiritual power.

It couldn’t be helped. Lu Yuanchen had a secret habit, just like her love for soap operas.

Laziness.

Compared to the current Lin Jianheng, Lu Yuanchen was the biggest procrastinator.

If she could avoid using her hands, she would. If she could avoid using her brain, it was even better.

Soap operas perfectly met her requirements, which was why she favored them.

“I did read it!” Lin Jianheng, still looking down, suddenly raised her voice.

“I, I know that during the secondary development period, appropriate marking can help the gland grow.” She repeated the first point verbatim.

The effect was similar to telling a study partner you’ve memorized “abandon” when you’re supposed to be learning vocabulary.

Lu Yuanchen took a deep breath.

The old Xiao Jianheng had been very keen on collecting this kind of knowledge, knowing the physiological characteristics of eighty percent of the Empire’s races inside and out, even better than she did as a doctor.

How was it that after transmigrating back, she had such a strange avoidance of these things?

As if they were dirty, not worth discussing, learning, or thinking about.

Lu Yuanchen would bet that Lin Jianheng hadn’t read the study materials Jian Lingxuan prepared for her either.

Those also contained little tidbits about succubi. For example, how to stimulate a succubus’s sensitive spots.

The succubus race was quite special. Their wings, ears, and tail were all very sensitive areas, and making good use of them during that could be very effective.

“Oh, Xiao Heng.” Lu Yuanchen let out a long, meaningful sigh.

She placed a hand on Lin Jianheng’s shoulder.

Lin Jianheng was covered in sweat, looking at Lu Yuanchen with her amber eyes full of earnestness.

There were even some wronged tears. She didn’t understand why Yan Su’s fainting was directly related to her not marking her.

“The succubus race has a very special way of life. The bodily fluids of their partner, or contract holder, master, and so on, are their food. Literal food.”

Lu Yuanchen’s first sentence left Lin Jianheng stunned, turning into a gray stone statue, her eyes devoid of even the glint of tears.

“For example, your pheromones, saliva, sweat, semen. They need to be replenished regularly, otherwise they’ll be weak and tired like they haven’t eaten, and even suffer from malnutrition.”

Lu Yuanchen even thoughtfully listed the most common bodily fluids.

“The higher the pheromone level of the succubus, the greater their need for this. You can think of it like a bodybuilder versus a homebody; the former consumes far more energy in a day than the latter. And your poor 3S-level succubus has been starved by you for two or three days.”

As she said this, Lin Jianheng shivered, and physiological tears squeezed out from the corners of her eyes, whether from shame or regret, she didn’t know.

“Although they can get by with inhibitor injections, synthetic pheromones, and the like, which I suspect is what the previous owner and that black market boss did to her, it’s like the difference between synthetic nutrient supplements and real food. Long-term consumption of the former would naturally lead to your succubus being malnourished. Add to that being starved by you for three days, and she directly ran out of energy and fainted from hunger,” Lu Yuanchen concluded.

She had sentenced Lin Jianheng to death as an unqualified owner.

Like a gunshot, Lin Jianheng was hit in the heart. She clutched the sore spot and curled up, her mind filled with regret.

If only she had given Yan Su her pheromones that day.

Her poor sister must have been hungry, which was why she came to seduce her, using her actions to beg for a mark.

In the end, Yan Su did mention it. That afternoon in the office, Yan Su had clearly said she was “hungry.”

But Lin Jianheng hadn’t realized that Yan Su’s “hungry” meant she needed her pheromones.

Thank goodness it was discovered in time this time… No, Yan Su had fainted from hunger. This wasn’t timely at all, just a crack appearing before a real problem occurred.

Lin Jianheng didn’t dare to think what would have happened if Yan Su hadn’t fainted, or if it had gone on longer.

She clearly wanted to treat her Sister Yan well. This was the little cat she had raised, her little cat. She was supposed to take good care of Yan Su.

How could she be so useless as to let Yan Su get hurt?

Was she really incapable of taking care of Yan Su?

No, impossible.

Lin Jianheng bit her tongue, struggling to climb out of the vortex of self-loathing, and grabbed Lu Yuanchen’s sleeve.

“Sister-in-law, what should I do? I want to take good care of her.” Besides regular marking, what else did a succubus need?

Lin Jianheng no longer wanted to be bound by the values of her previous life, nor did she need those useless principles.

Right now, she just wanted to be good to Yan Su, even if it meant doing things she would have never accepted before.

She was helping her Sister Yan recover her health, to get out of her malnourished state, not because she had dirty thoughts.

Lin Jianheng told herself.

Isn’t this what pet ownership is about? If you get one, you have to be responsible.

She had to become a responsible, good owner.

Even if it meant doing that.

“The gland exercise manual I gave you, and the study materials your sister gave you, actually have it all written down.” Lu Yuanchen didn’t have the face to teach Lin Jianheng directly here.

Or, if Lin Jianheng really wanted to learn, she could send her to the university where she taught to take a physiological knowledge class.

This would probably count as retaking it? After all, Lin Jianheng had specifically taken this elective when she was a student. In the end, she not only got a perfect score, but her final project was kept by the professor as a model for the next term’s textbook.

“I knew you didn’t read it carefully. I should have stayed with you and made you finish it back then.” Lu Yuanchen pinched Lin Jianheng’s finger.

Lin Jianheng obediently pulled it back, covering her face, on the verge of tears.

She had just… been poisoned for too long.

And today, Yan Su fainting from hunger was the final hammer blow that shattered her crumbling shackles.

The pain went bone-deep, and the thorns were completely removed, leaving only a bloody wound to heal in the future.

“Hurry up and read it. I have something to do later.” This time, Lu Yuanchen had to watch Lin Jianheng finish reading the gland exercise manual she gave her.

“I, I know…” Lin Jianheng still had a tear track on her face, but her amber eyes had regained their light.

She sniffled, her heart still aching, but with less confusion.

Lin Jianheng opened the projection and started reading seriously from the beginning.

The manual for her secondary gland development was actually only one page.

It was mostly about marking more often, becoming proficient in using her gland, and maximizing her pheromone level.

She could have her partner help stimulate it, for example, by licking, light biting, or massaging.

Lu Yuanchen had even specifically noted that it was not recommended to be counter-marked by an Omega, nor was it recommended to partner with a Beta at this time.

Then, it was about spending as much time as possible with high-level Omegas, appropriately absorbing their successfully liquefied pheromones, and feeling the resonance between their pheromones and her own.

She should try to avoid being stimulated by Alphas of a higher level than herself, as her gland could easily be suppressed by them.

Lin Jianheng read them one by one and memorized them.

Now she knew what she could do with Yan Su. She just didn’t know if Sister Yan would be willing to help her after she had unconsciously punished her.

The next few pages were instructions on raising a succubus.

The first point was: For a succubus, bodily fluids are a necessity and need to be replenished regularly.

Lin Jianheng covered her eyes, her face burning like a fiery cloud, but she had to finish reading it all under Lu Yuanchen’s supervision.

Halfway through, Lin Jianheng gasped.

So for a succubus, the tail was also a sexual organ and couldn’t be touched casually!

Then what was she doing grabbing Yan Su’s tail so casually before? Her Sister Yan was too good-natured, not stopping her and even pouncing into her arms.

How lucky she was to have a little cat like Yan Su.

Lin Jianheng really wanted to strangle the her from a few days ago. She didn’t even know what she was angry or awkward about.

And the ears and wings… so the wings also had concentrated, developed nerve areas that could be used for soothing before marking.

Further down was “knowledge” that Lin Jianheng had never seen before.

For the first time, she learned that when a succubus was aroused, glowing patterns would appear on their body, with special effects.

They were commonly found on the abdomen, but it wasn’t unheard of on the chest, thighs, ankles, and wrists.

Lin Jianheng’s first thought was Yan Su’s tattoo, but that tattoo was always there, which didn’t quite fit the description.

It said that after the patterns appeared, you could kiss them, stroke them, or apply pheromones or essential oils to double the effect of the patterns.

Finally, it mentioned that a succubus’s healing ability was extremely strong, and their sexual preferences were often more extreme. You could try things like spanking, provided you got her consent.

Lin Jianheng stared at the word “spank,” not quite understanding it.

There were many other knowledge points, such as nesting and establishing a mental link during deep marking. Lin Jianheng skimmed through them, unable to digest everything.

Lu Yuanchen didn’t expect her to memorize it all in one day, but at least now she knew she could look things up or ask people when she didn’t understand.

In any case, Lin Jianheng now understood the problem between her and Yan Su.

They lacked proper communication, leading to everything being left to interpretation.

She didn’t have this world’s common sense and often misunderstood Yan Su’s meaning. Yan Su didn’t know she would misunderstand and thought she had successfully expressed herself, and that she was being punished.

Today, she had to communicate properly with Yan Su, apologize properly, and then…

Mark her properly.

Lin Jianheng finally faced her own thoughts.

Actually, she really wanted to mark Yan Su too, didn’t she?

“If you have any more questions later, you can ask your sister or me. Just get used to your original world.”

Lu Yuanchen didn’t know what Lin Jianheng had experienced in her original world, but it probably wasn’t important.

The Xuanxing Empire was Lin Jianheng’s home.

She patted Lin Jianheng’s head, took the machine, and left the room to her.

The two of them would spend the night here. Tomorrow, Yan Su would have a follow-up check, and Lin Jianheng would have a small check-up to assess the recovery of her gland.

Lu Yuanchen left the room, closing the door behind her, feeling like she had forgotten to remind Lin Jianheng of something.

She stood at the door for two minutes, and even when her alarm went off, she still couldn’t remember, so she gave up.

Lin Jianheng sat by Yan Su’s side, holding her hand, anxiously waiting for her to wake up.

About five minutes later, Yan Su groggily opened her eyes. Seeing Lin Jianheng watching over her, she let out a whimper.

“Master, Master…” It was so good to be able to see Master again while still alive.

Yan Su gradually felt the warmth in her palm and gently tried to squeeze it. Lin Jianheng squeezed back firmly.

“I’m here, sister.” Lin Jianheng brought their tightly clasped hands to her own face.

She used the heat from her blushing cheeks to warm one of Yan Su’s hands.

Tears misted Yan Su’s eyes. She trembled uncontrollably, her eyelashes trying to hold back the torrent, but failing.

Her mouth was open, wanting so badly to hug Lin Jianheng. Lin Jianheng was even more proactive, putting an arm around her to help her sit up, and then opening her arms.

Tightly, she pulled her into an embrace.

In the way Yan Su liked best, the most forceful, direct way. Giving her complete comfort.

Yan Su buried her head, smelling Lin Jianheng’s pheromones.

The scent of orange blossom slowly filled her chest, and a growing sense of security pulled her hazy consciousness back from the brink of starvation.

Yan Su gradually tightened her grip. After Lin Jianheng’s hand rested on her hair, she suddenly hugged Lin Jianheng tightly.

Can you give me a mark today? Yan Su wanted to ask.

When she fainted from hunger this morning, Yan Su truly thought her master was abandoning her.

Otherwise, why would she let her starve for so long? Did Master really want to eat her right now?

She had no choice but to accept it painfully.

Actually, she had no concept of death. Living seemed to have only one pursuit: Lin Jianheng.

What saddened her was the separation, was not being able to see Lin Jianheng one last time before she died.

“Sister Yan, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t know you needed pheromones, I let you starve.” And Lin Jianheng, at this moment, was apologizing to her.

Stroking her head, trembling with the fear of losing her.

With each breath, she pulled her deeper into her embrace, wanting to envelop her, as if to say.

Even if she were to devour her, it would only be with love, with shadow.

It would not cause her such pain.

Yan Su’s tightly bitten lips could no longer hold back. She gasped, and tears streamed down her face, flowing into Lin Jianheng’s collarbone.

Then she gently opened her mouth, her teeth resting on Lin Jianheng’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, sister… Bite me, bite me a few more times. I’m really sorry, for letting you get so hungry.” Lin Jianheng was still apologizing to Yan Su.

Still encouraging Yan Su to “retaliate” against her.

The hand on the back of her head was so warm, truly implying—it’s okay to bite.

Lin Jianheng was a tolerant master, the best master.

She would indulge her coquettishness.

Yan Su really did bite down.

Not hard. She was a gentle little cat, a well-behaved succubus.

Her master was back, hugging her, comforting her. What more could she ask for?

She just wanted to be affectionate.

Yan Su suddenly remembered what the doctor who had examined her said when she first groggily opened her eyes.

“Xiao Heng went to another world for a few years. She came back with no memories and no common sense. She probably didn’t mean to make you so uncomfortable, she just didn’t know what you needed. Xiao Heng is a very good person, you can try telling her your needs.”

And… a sentence Yan Su wasn’t sure she had heard correctly.

“But you two should be careful when marking. She’s a high-level Alpha, and probably has no self-control, not knowing the difference between a temporary mark, a deep mark, and a partner mark. You’re also a high-level Omega. Without external inhibitors, if you’re marked deeply, you can easily get pregnant.”

What had that doctor said then?

Something about how she could have Lin Jianheng use an inhibitor patch or get an inhibitor injection to prevent pregnancy.

After saying that, she gave her another dose of nerve-calming medication, and she fell asleep again, entering the examination pod.

Yan Su’s eyes darkened. She was a little pet, something that belonged to Lin Jianheng. How could she bear to let Lin Jianheng use inhibitors?

However deep Lin Jianheng wanted to bite, it was fine.

If she really got pregnant with Master’s child, she would be very happy.

Yan Su released her bite, sniffling as she looked up, her voice low and cautious.

Lin Jianheng also spoke at that moment.

“Master, may I beg you for a mark?”

“Sister, do you need me to mark you?”

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