"I don't want it." Once Shi Yue came to her senses, she shrank back, expressing her resistance to Leng Yanmi with her eyes.
Leng Yanmi: "..."
She pressed her lips together slightly, her troubled expression like that of someone facing a difficult child.
Shi Yue furrowed her brows. "But I don't feel anything wrong right now. I'm not sick or in pain, so why should I take medicine?"
Saying this, she shook her body vigorously to prove she was telling the truth.
Leng Yanmi looked at her and said, "If you wait until you feel uncomfortable, it'll be too late."
Shi Yue still didn't quite understand the whole pheromones thing.
She stared at the bottle and asked, "What will happen if I don't take it?"
Hearing this, Leng Yanmi blushed slightly. "I'm not an Omega, so I'm not sure about the exact symptoms."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "But short term, you might experience things like memory loss, fatigue, irritability, and loss of appetite. Long term, it could take a significant toll on your body."
Shi Yue wrinkled her nose. "Sounds like hormone imbalance."
Seeing her dismissive attitude, Leng Yanmi's tone became more serious. "Don't take this lightly."
Shi Yue shrugged. "Just leave it there. If I feel the need, I'll take it."
Seeing Leng Yanmi's cold face and clear disapproval, she leaned in and hugged her arm. "You put so much effort into getting someone to rush over with medicine, but wouldn't it be better to spend that time with me?
"Isn't the first week after marking supposed to be for 'getting closer'?"
Leng Yanmi stiffened momentarily.
She turned and placed the bottle on the bedside table, then sat on the edge of the bed, her body softening again. "Without sufficient pheromone compatibility, getting close won't help."
"Who says?" Shi Yue pouted unhappily.
She pressed herself against Leng Yanmi's back, relishing the warmth of their skin touching. "Auntie is right here with me now, and I feel much better than taking any amount of medicine."
Leng Yanmi smiled and shook her head.
She gently picked up a strand of Shi Yue's hair that had fallen on her chest. "That's just psychological. You're still young. Emotional joy can't replace the soothing effect of pheromones."
Shi Yue disagreed. "I say it's fine, so it's fine—both mentally and physically."
She poked Leng Yanmi's cheek with her finger. "Do you think you know my body better than I do?"
Leng Yanmi caught her mischievous hand. "You're stubborn. You'll only listen after suffering the consequences."
"Leng Yanmi…" Shi Yue called her name seriously. "Why didn't I notice before that you're such a worrier?
"Nothing's even happened yet, and you're already stressing yourself out."
Leng Yanmi didn't respond, turning to meet her gaze. There was a flicker of light in her eyes.
In that moment, Shi Yue thought she looked fragile.
The thought seemed absurd. Leng Yanmi, whether the ruthless villain from the novel or the person she knew, shouldn't be associated with such a word.
But when faced with that look, all she wanted to do was hold her close.
And so, the two quietly embraced in the dimly lit bedroom.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Shi Yue asked softly, "Is your illness… really serious?"
"...Yes," Leng Yanmi replied. "You'll have to be prepared for regular medication in the future."
Shi Yue suddenly remembered something important.
She loosened her embrace and met Leng Yanmi's gaze. "We haven't checked our pheromone compatibility yet, right?" She felt like she had found a glimmer of hope. "My compatibility with Leng Mingchuan was pretty high, and since you're his close relative, ours shouldn't be too low either."
Leng Yanmi let out a wry smile.
"My condition..." It was the first time she had explained her illness to someone, and she took her time choosing her words. "My pheromones don't have a scent, nor do they have a soothing effect.
"The doctor said it's practically impossible for me to have more than a 20% compatibility with any Omega."
Shi Yue clicked her tongue. "Not even 20%? Then..."
Leng Yanmi's gaze shifted downward, landing on Shi Yue's abdomen. "So, it's also nearly impossible for a partner to conceive naturally."
She looked up again, forcing a playful smile. "When you mentioned 'birth control pills' earlier, I almost didn't know how to respond. I'm sorry, Shi Yue, but that possibility is far beyond us."
Shi Yue didn't know how to respond, shaking her head in a daze.
"In the future, if you're ready," Leng Yanmi gently cupped her face, "we can always try in vitro..."
Shi Yue wrapped her arms around her neck.
"Stop it, I don't want to talk about this."
Leng Yanmi slowly ran her fingers through her long hair. "This is the price of being together. You can't avoid it."
"I'm not trying to avoid it."
Shi Yue buried her face in her shoulder, speaking in a muffled voice
"Leng Yanmi, I've never once regretted it. I chose you, and no matter how many challenges or difficulties come, it doesn't matter."
"But I don't want to see you like this."
Leng Yanmi froze.
Shi Yue continued earnestly, "It makes me sad."
"Seeing you worry about things that don't even matter, it makes me really sad."
Leng Yanmi silently tightened her embrace.
After a while, she spoke. "What do you want me to do?"
Shi Yue cupped her face. "You don't need to change on purpose. Let's just be the way we were before, okay?"
She pulled out a smile. "Marking was supposed to be a happy occasion. We shouldn't be sitting here, looking gloomy and talking about downer topics."
Looking into her eyes, Leng Yanmi nodded slightly. "Okay."
Shi Yue smiled, leaning down to kiss her, a deep kiss meant to soothe both their turbulent emotions.
That night, the first episode of Feather Design Competition aired.
The competition round where Shi Yue won first place was not to be missed. Leng Yanmi kept track of the time and pulled her in front of the screen to watch it.
The cat, silently crept over and, with a graceful leap, jumped onto Leng Yanmi's lap.
It found a comfortable position, settled down, and claimed her lap.
Shi Yue picked up a sunshine muscat grape from the table and tried to tease the cat, but the cat only rolled its eyes, giving her a haughty look as if to say, 'You humans can't tempt me with such trivial things.' It made Shi Yue laugh out loud.
During the show, her attention wasn't much on the screen, as she was too engrossed in playing with the cat.
Suddenly, Leng Yanmi turned to her and asked, "Are you still in contact with Xi Chuanyu?"
"Who?" Shi Yue was puzzled for two seconds before realizing. "Oh, you mean the captain of M.Crush?"
She was confused. "No, we didn't exchange contact information. Why do you ask?"
Leng Yanmi used the remote to rewind the show to the scene where M.Crush first met the contestants. "You looked at her differently."
Shi Yue: "??"
Now taking it seriously, Shi Yue grabbed the remote and played the scene repeatedly, then turned to Leng Yanmi in confusion. "I don't see it."
Leng Yanmi pointed to a moment. "You raised an eyebrow."
Shi Yue was speechless for a moment, then asked in surprise, "You noticed that tiny detail?"
"You didn't show any change in expression while looking at the others, but you raised an eyebrow when Xi Chuanyu appeared." Leng Yanmi straightened her posture, looking as serious as a detective.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Huh." Shi Yue thought about it.
After a moment, she finally recalled the situation and lifted her head in realization. "I remember now."
"Hmm?"
Shi Yue explained, "Aside from her face, Xi Chuanyu has a perfect figure. Great proportions, wide shoulders, a slim waist, and long, straight legs. She's a natural clothes hanger, perfect for a model."
If Xi Chuanyu had been there to see the increasingly dark expression on Leng Yanmi's face, she might have dropped to her knees, begging Shi Yue to stop.
But she was far away, attending a concert, completely unaware of the ongoing drama.
Seeing Leng Yanmi remain silent, Shi Yue chuckled.
She leaned closer, deliberately blowing into Leng Yanmi's ear. "You're not jealous of that, are you? I'm a designer, so of course, I pay attention to the figure of someone who's a great fit for a model.
"It's just part of the job."
Leng Yanmi reached out and scooped up the cat, who had somehow moved onto Shi Yue's lap, bringing the cat back onto her own.
Shi Yue blinked and continued, "Besides, it was just a raised eyebrow, nothing more."
"When we first met, do you remember how my eyes were practically glued to you?"
Leng Yanmi shot her a sidelong glance.
The show continued.
In one of the rooms on the villa's first floor, all the M.Crush members were gathered, discussing the results of the design rankings. Although this evaluation wasn't official, it would determine the order in which they selected their rooms.
The first design that Xi Chuanyu chose happened to be Shi Yue's three cheongsams.
In addition to complimenting the designs, she also praised the designer. "That Miss Shi Yue seems like a person with excellent taste."
KK, one of the members, asked in surprise, "We've only just met. How did you already match their names to their faces?"
Xi Chuanyu responded without thinking, "She's special."
Realizing her slip, she quickly cleared her throat and added, "All seven designers are very unique. I remembered many of them."
Leng Yanmi suddenly let out a cold laugh.
Sitting beside her, Shi Yue felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Fortunately, the host quickly picked up on the shift in atmosphere and smoothly guided the conversation back on track, putting an end to the discussion about Xi Chuanyu.
After that, the show returned to normal, and after selecting their rooms, the contestants moved into the formal competition phase.
Shi Yue glanced sneakily at Leng Yanmi, who was stroking the cat absentmindedly and making no further comments, which made her sigh in relief.
When the episode ended, Shi Yue received a flood of congratulatory messages from teachers, classmates, and friends.
Jiang Fu, her mother, even called to check in, expressing concern. "That competition must have been exhausting. Winning first place must've been hard, huh?"
Shi Yue felt warm inside. "I'm doing fine. Don't worry about me." Then she added playfully, "It's just that being stuck in the villa means I can't visit you.
"Some things happened recently, but once we finish filming, I'll come home to see you."
Jiang Fu chuckled and replied, "Alright, Mommy will be waiting for you."
They chatted for a bit longer, and by the time they hung up, half an hour had passed. Shi Yue put her phone away and looked around, realizing Leng Yanmi had already left the living room. She called out, "Auntie!" as she headed to the bedroom.
Sure enough, Leng Yanmi was lying on the bed with a small laptop on her lap, seemingly working.
Shi Yue walked over. "What are you doing?"
Leng Yanmi quickly closed the laptop. "Nothing."
Shi Yue blinked in confusion.
"Is there some top-secret information I'm not allowed to see?" She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not even curious."
Leng Yanmi responded with an indifferent "Mhm," setting the laptop aside on the bedside table.
Taking advantage of the moment, Shi Yue slipped under the covers, lying beside her and sighing contentedly as she nestled close.
Perhaps it was really because of the marking, but now, whenever she was near Leng Yanmi, she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort.
Without giving her a moment to catch her breath, Leng Yanmi flipped over, pinning her down.
Shi Yue blinked innocently. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think?" Leng Yanmi's gaze traced the outline of Shi Yue's face, then slowly moved downward, resting on her gland. Then, with lips and tongue, she replaced her gaze, kissing her way down with reverence, as if in worship.
As the passion heated up, Shi Yue suddenly remembered something and struggled to say, "Turn… turn off the overhead light."
The bright light left nothing hidden; every ounce of her embarrassment and every tremble would be laid bare for Leng Yanmi to see.
In the past, Leng Yanmi had always been obedient to her wishes, but this time, she refused. "No."
She stroked Shi Yue's cheek. "Just like this."
Shi Yue swallowed nervously. "Why?"
Leng Yanmi replied, "With the light on, I can see everything clearly."
As she undid Shi Yue's shirt button by button, she looked down at her. "Didn't you want a model? Let's see if I'm up to your standards."
Shi Yue's cheeks were so hot they could cook an egg. She covered her eyes with her hands. "I've already seen enough… You pass! You more than pass!!"
She never expected that Leng Yanmi, who had seemed so nonchalant earlier, was actually waiting for this moment to settle the score.
Leng Yanmi chuckled softly.
She pulled Shi Yue's left hand away, meeting her half-lidded gaze. "Take a good look, and see if this can cure your so called 'professional problem.'"
Shi Yue, feeling both angry and flustered, sat up and playfully bit her wrist.
Her teeth grazed the tender flesh, but she stopped before going too far and released her grip.
Leng Yanmi glanced at the barely visible bite mark, then reached over and pried Shi Yue's lips apart, revealing her pearly white teeth.
Shi Yue opened her mouth wide and took her fingers in.
Leng Yanmi's gaze darkened.
The scent of pheromones' swirled around them, and soon neither of them cared whether the lights were on or off.
Outside, the Ragdoll cats peered at the light seeping through the crack in the door. it scratched at the door twice but received no response from their owners.
With a forlorn swish of its tails, it slowly padded back to its cozy little bed.
The night had only just begun.