“Stop…” Jiang Hanguang’s body was burning hot, and she was no longer fully conscious, uttering broken, single words purely on instinct.
The refusal wasn’t even born of reason, but a signal from her overloaded body, unable to endure the torment.
She was trapped in a tenderness that allowed no refusal, as if her very soul was being captured by the Alpha’s lips and teeth.
Cheng Ying’s woody scent completely enveloped the air around them, and Jiang Hanguang felt as if even her own breath was no longer hers.
A bone-deep thrill swept over her. She trembled in fear, yet she could not escape.
She was trapped between Cheng Ying and the world, the softest part of it all.
Her consciousness became like an ice cube tossed into a blazing fire, instantly incinerated, leaving behind only a pathetic wisp of steam.
And it seemed she, too, was the same.
Jiang Hanguang blinked. Two streams of tears fell weakly, but they brought no sense of reality.
They must have been burned into steam by my body heat.
She thought fuzzily.
Will I be marked?
It’s only natural.
In a situation like this, anything that happens is only natural.
Her remaining consciousness struggled to comfort her terrified heart.
Cheng Ying is my girlfriend, and a normal Alpha.
Asking her to stop now would be truly unreasonable.
Besides, Cheng Ying is a good person… It’s okay to be marked by her.
It’s okay.
She thought this, yet the tears continued to fall.
She didn’t know if it was because her body was overwhelmed or because of the fear in her heart.
Her body couldn’t summon an ounce of strength to resist or escape, and her heart couldn’t find the courage to refuse.
The situation was beyond her control now, just like so many things in her life.
A massive wave was crashing down on her, and she had no choice but to be swept along.
So be it.
She closed her eyes, thinking with self-abandon.
At least I really like Cheng Ying. At least… I chose her.
“Ngh!” The person holding her suddenly let out a stifled grunt. Then, the teeth left her neck, and the hand that had been inside her clothes was withdrawn and placed gently on her back.
The movements, which had been escalating into foreplay, were abruptly halted by the Alpha, reverting to a simple embrace.
Cheng Ying licked the sweet, metallic wound in her mouth, hissing in pain as she mentally cursed that damned susceptible period.
It had been almost over, so why was it flaring up now?
She had almost lost control and really… done it to Jiang Hanguang.
With the Alpha’s advance halted, Jiang Hanguang finally managed to gather a bit of strength. She hesitantly placed her hands on Cheng Ying’s shoulders and gave a gentle push.
The person who, just moments before, had been pressing against her like an impenetrable wall of fire, retreated with surprising ease.
But she retreated so completely that she even let go of the hand supporting Jiang Hanguang.
Jiang Hanguang, who had only just caught her breath and was still bonelessly weak, nearly slid to the floor.
Cheng Ying quickly stepped forward again to steady her.
Once again, they were too close. Their ragged breaths mingled, and Jiang Hanguang caught the faint scent of blood.
She looked up in surprise, her now-clear eyes sharply spotting a trace of blood at the corner of Cheng Ying’s mouth.
“Ying, you!” Forgetting everything else, she raised a hand to cup the Alpha’s face.
Cheng Ying’s breathing was still ragged, her mouth slightly parted, so Jiang Hanguang could easily see the blood still oozing inside.
It was easy to imagine how hard she must have bitten herself.
But Cheng Ying didn’t give her a chance for a closer look. She closed her mouth, averted her gaze, and teased.
“I told you to bite me, but you wouldn’t, so I had to do it myself.”
Jiang Hanguang froze for a second, then instantly understood.
Perhaps her tear ducts, which had been overstimulated and out of control moments ago, hadn’t yet recovered. The woman frowned, her vision blurring once more.
Cheng Ying caught sight of her face in her peripheral vision. Her heart ached, and she helplessly turned to wipe away her tears.
“You cry when I kiss you, and you cry when I don’t. How did I never realize you were such a crybaby?”
She was truly at a loss. It was the first time in her life she had fallen for someone, the first time she felt an uncontrollable desire for someone, and the first time she had placed someone at the very center of her heart to protect.
And yet this person, who was so silent and aloof in front of others as if she were invulnerable, became a fragile porcelain doll in front of her, making her heart ache at the slightest thing, leaving her at a loss for what to do.
When she had pulled away, the sight of the bite marks she’d left on the woman’s face and neck, along with the tear stains, had nearly shattered her heart.
All she could do was curse herself for her lack of restraint while simultaneously thanking herself for managing to stop.
Looking at Cheng Ying’s gentle eyes, Jiang Hanguang felt that her earlier withdrawal had been utterly despicable.
“I’m sorry, I…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Cheng Ying’s finger on her lips stopped her.
The beautiful young Alpha sighed helplessly. “You never, ever have to apologize for something like this. There’s no logic in the world that says you have to apologize for not wanting to be intimate, and that includes couples. I’m the one who should be sorry, so please don’t make me feel even more guilty.”
Jiang Hanguang was about to say something else when the Alpha supporting her suddenly shuddered, the hand on her back clenching fiercely.
“Ying?” Jiang Hanguang was caught off guard as she was pulled into the Alpha’s scorching embrace, once again enveloped in that woody scent.
It was more intense and aggressive than ever before.
She tremblingly uttered a few words, “Ying, are you… in heat?”
Alphas don’t spontaneously go into heat unless they inhale a large amount of an Omega’s heat pheromones. A heat like Cheng Ying’s, induced by inappropriate intimacy during a susceptible period, is medically referred to as a pseudo-heat.
Compared to a true heat, its symptoms are much milder; the Alpha can maintain their reason and won’t lose control for a short time.
However, a pseudo-heat also has symptoms that are more troublesome than a true heat.
First, while its effect on an Alpha is milder than a true heat, it is by no means negligible. The physical suffering still exists, yet the mind remains clear, which for most is actually a misfortune.
Second, if it isn’t soothed by enough Omega pheromones during that time, it will develop into a true heat.
Finally, and most critically, a pseudo-heat induced during a susceptible period has far more complex causes than a true heat. Even the most effective suppressants on the market are useless against it.
In other words, Cheng Ying had to endure this extremely difficult period before she could use suppressants to relieve her symptoms.
Cheng Ying understood the situation before the still-dazed Jiang Hanguang did. After once again cursing her wretched susceptible period and her own wretched self, she reluctantly released Jiang Hanguang.
For her, in her current state, this was tantamount to a miser letting go of a savings jar filled with gold coins.
“It’s fine, I have suppressants,” she said, trying to keep her tone light. “You should go out first. Cover the marks on your face with some makeup, and once I’m better…”
“Are you in your susceptible period?” Jiang Hanguang also knew Alphas didn’t go into heat on their own. Connecting that with their prior actions, she easily arrived at the correct answer.
Cheng Ying no longer had the strength to hide it. In just that short time, she felt as if all the moisture in her body was being boiled away by the heat exploding inside her.
She nodded weakly, her voice a listless rasp. “Yeah. It’s okay, you should go, quickly.”
She fought against the wave of heat for a moment, only to realize that trying to fight a physiological reaction with sheer willpower was utterly idiotic.
She listlessly raised her head and saw that Jiang Hanguang was still standing in the same spot, with no intention of getting makeup or leaving.
“Why are you still…” When she spoke this time, her voice was several degrees hoarser. Just hearing it was enough to make one’s own throat feel scratchy.
The woman, her face still streaked with tears, gave her a look that was a mixture of heartache and hesitation.
Her voice was soft. “Do you want me to help you?”
Even in this urgent situation, Cheng Ying couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying? You’re not afraid anymore?”
She could no longer see the woman before her clearly, but she could hear her slow, determined voice. “I’m scared. But I can’t leave you alone at a time like this…”
What kind of mess is this?
For the first time, Cheng Ying discovered how difficult it was to be a good person. When she held back, Jiang Hanguang would provoke her. When she made a move on Jiang Hanguang, the woman would retreat.
Now that she had retreated, the woman was advancing again.
This damned susceptible period, this damned pseudo-heat, this damned…
Forget it.
Even if she had been reckless enough to kiss Jiang Hanguang during her susceptible period, it was only because the other woman had kissed her first.
Now the woman wanted to take responsibility. She was practically starving to death, so taking a little taste couldn’t be blamed, right?
“Wait a second.” She turned her head unsteadily and pressed her own elbow.
Cheng Mantou: “What do you need? Holy crap, why are you burning up so badly?”
After arriving here, Cheng Ying had disabled her continuous connection to Cheng Mantou to conserve the limited energy of her internal chip. Naturally, Mantou couldn’t monitor her physical condition constantly.
“Cut the crap,” Cheng Ying felt as if every breath she took could spew fire. “Tell Qin Guanyu to notify Sun Zhao: There’s another problem with a guest on Little Little Farm, and the impact is extremely negative. As the investor, I demand an immediate suspension of filming. All personnel are to remain on standby at the filming location and await the arrival of the investor’s representatives to handle the situation. Especially Lang Wenxing and his staff.”
“Uh, understood.” Although Cheng Mantou didn’t know what was going on, she heard the serious tone in her voice and didn’t ask any more questions, immediately getting to work.
Cheng Ying rummaged through her suitcase, pulled out a thick, sturdy leather belt, and handed it to Jiang Hanguang, who was following her with a worried expression. “Use this. Tie me to the bed.”
Seeing her unsteady state, Jiang Hanguang said no more. She helped her sit down on the bed. Cheng Ying was drenched in sweat and curled into a ball almost the instant she touched the edge of the mattress. Trembling, she interlocked her fingers, placed her hands near the iron headboard railing, and forced out a single word through gritted teeth, “Tie!”
The heat had now spread, and her shockingly hot body seemed shockingly sensitive as well. Even the mere brush of the leather belt across her wrist made the curled-up Alpha flinch involuntarily.
Jiang Hanguang clenched her jaw, sped up her movements, and quickly bound the Alpha’s hands to the bedpost.
“Done.”
Cheng Ying struggled with all her might, and the belt immediately showed signs of coming loose.
“Tighter,” she tried to give Jiang Hanguang an encouraging look, but her tear-filled eyes only seemed to be pleading. “Or I’ll hurt you.”
At first, Jiang Hanguang had been afraid of hurting Cheng Ying, but now she understood that if she didn’t act decisively, Cheng Ying would only suffer more.
She pressed her lips together and viciously tightened the belt by two notches. The sturdy leather immediately left two red marks on the Alpha’s wrists.
Jiang Hanguang was on the verge of tears again, but Cheng Ying smiled in satisfaction, because she found she couldn’t break free no matter how she struggled.
The Alpha, already dizzy and feverish, struggled to lift her head and nuzzled the woman’s cool palm. “Now, you can bite me, Hanguang.”
If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.
