That day in the car, neither Jiang Yi nor Jiang Sixian answered each other’s questions, yet they both found the answers they sought in each other’s attitudes.
Even without Jiang Yi confessing, Jiang Sixian—now aware of her true feelings—was overjoyed. She knew how stubborn Jiang Yi could be. Unless Jiang Yi herself showed signs of recovering her memories, no matter how much Jiang Sixian spoke of the past, Jiang Yi would still believe she was being treated as a “replacement.”
Jiang Sixian could already clearly sense Jiang Yi’s fractured state, compounded by her current emotional instability. If left unchecked, this relationship might spiral into something disastrous.
So she decided to take a step back—to loosen her grip on Jiang Yi, and to be a little gentler with herself.
Jiang Yi had returned. She wouldn’t leave again, wouldn’t disappear. Jiang Sixian no longer had to live in trembling fear, trapped in a purgatory of regret and guilt, waiting like a caged beast for a miracle to appear.
Because her miracle had already arrived. The only thing left for her to do now was to protect Jiang Yi well.
Jiang Sixian released Jiang Yi, using her pinky to wipe away her tears before lowering her gaze to ask softly, “Are you really that bothered by this?”
Jiang Yi’s heart softened at her pitiful expression. She answered honestly, “At first, I wasn’t. But now… I am.”
Before realizing she loved Jiang Sixian, she could have offered her body out of pity. But now that she understood her own feelings, jealousy had completely robbed her of reason.
Jiang Yi felt she must look utterly hideous right now. She reached out, stroking Jiang Sixian’s back as she said, “Jiang Sixian, you’re a good person—the best I’ve ever met. You’re devoted, romantic… in my life, you’re the very embodiment of what ‘love’ means.”
“No one could dislike you.”
Including herself. It was no surprise she had fallen so hard. Perhaps she had been love-struck from the very first moment they met.
Jiang Yi tilted her head up, staring fixedly at Jiang Sixian. “But me… I’m just an ordinary person.”
Her tone was calm, yet it made Jiang Sixian’s heart ache. A tear slid down Jiang Sixian’s cheek as she reached up to brush Jiang Yi’s hair, shaking her head. “Me too. I’m just an ordinary person.”
Afraid Jiang Yi might see more tears, she pulled her into an embrace. “Give me a little more time… just a little more…”
“I’ll keep my promise. So don’t leave me because of this, okay?”
This was Jiang Yi’s first time loving someone, and she wasn’t exactly a skilled lover. She had always been afraid of trouble, rejecting anything that could hurt her to avoid being wounded.
Love had never been a necessity in her life—let alone falling for someone who had seen her as another person from the start.
But this time, Jiang Yi wanted to see how long she could hold on.
Not because she might be “that Jiang Yi,” but because she knew that in this world, there was no omega worth her effort besides Jiang Sixian.
Over the years, omegas like Song Yi had passed through her life like schools of fish. Every one of them had tried to keep her by their side with lavish offers, yet Jiang Yi had refused them all.
Jiang Sixian was the only exception. She was the sole one.
Ever since meeting Jiang Sixian, Jiang Yi had carried a vague feeling—as if she had appeared in this world solely to reunite with her.
That first night, Jiang Yi hadn’t just surrendered to pheromones. Her heart had yielded too.
She had been so lonely in this world for so long. She had longed for someone to hold her this close.
People tamed and depended on one another. Right now, Jiang Yi felt she had been successfully domesticated by Jiang Sixian.
So she decided to be her little fox, to try piecing together the fragmented memories of “that Jiang Yi,” to unearth the truth hidden in those six lost years.
If, in the end, she discovered she wasn’t “that Jiang Yi,” at least she would have spent time with someone she loved. They would have shared their lives, briefly merged into one, and Jiang Sixian would at least know she had been loved.
Jiang Yi had no intention of leaving Jiang Sixian. She looked up at Jiang Sixian’s tear-dampened eyes and softly agreed, “Okay.”
They reached an understanding. In the days that followed, Jiang Sixian no longer clung to Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi used her free evenings to chat with Little Monitor and the others, subtly probing for details about their school days.
These friends had formed the most important part of “Jiang Yi’s” youth, and they recounted their shared memories like treasured heirlooms.
When the topic turned to Chen Wanzhou egging her on to dance, Jiang Yi vaguely recalled something: in an empty basketball gym, she had held Ning Wenying’s waist, stumbling through clumsy steps. Glancing up, she seemed to catch Jiang Sixian’s figure paused at the doorway, silently watching her.
Jiang Sixian had always been secretly observing her—whether she was joking around with Chen Wanzhou or playing with Ning Wenying. Amidst the crowd, from hidden corners, her gaze had always found Jiang Yi.
That sensation was hazy, indistinct—much like her flickering memories, yet carrying an undeniable intuition.
She felt she might truly be “that Jiang Yi,” just as she had once sensed Jiang Sixian’s feelings for her.
It wasn’t a certainty. Such thoughts only revealed one truth: she wished it to be so.
Jiang Yi realized she had misspoken that day at the equestrian center. She shouldn’t have said, “I didn’t like you before.” She should have said, “I think… I did.”
The Jiang Yi of her youth had liked Jiang Sixian—like the dim glow of moonlight, ambiguous yet undeniably stirring.
They had loved each other. The thought made Jiang Yi ache.
Before she knew it, Friday arrived. Jiang Qionghua and Ning Wenying urged Jiang Yi and Jiang Sixian to come home for dinner. To reassure them, Jiang Yi drove Jiang Sixian back to the Jiang family villa.
But Jiang Sixian had an early meeting the next day and needed to return to the city center. So after dinner, despite their mothers’ protests, Jiang Yi drove her back to their apartment.
When they reached the parking garage, they got out together and took the elevator up.
In that enclosed space, standing side by side, Jiang Yi soon caught the faint, sweet scent of pheromones drifting from Jiang Sixian’s neck. She turned, silently watching her.
Jiang Sixian noticed her gaze and self-consciously touched her cheek. “What is it?”
An omega’s early estrus symptoms were usually subtle—typically, only during peak heat would an alpha detect them, as that period was most suitable for reproduction.
But Jiang Yi had the nose of a bloodhound. Even an omega’s normal pheromones were overwhelming to her, let alone pre-heat traces.
She was hypersensitive to these reactions. Jiang Yi pointed at Jiang Sixian’s neck, her ears reddening without a word.
At first, Jiang Sixian didn’t understand. Only when a wave of heat surged through her did she cover her scent gland, embarrassed. “I forgot to tell you… it starts tonight. I’ve been distracted lately.”
Jiang Yi quietly noted her cycle date. The elevator arrived at their floor, and Jiang Sixian stepped out, saying, “I have suppressants at home. I won’t trouble you.”
Jiang Yi’s hand froze mid-air as she reached for the door. Her mind blanked, completely unsure how to process that statement.
What did she mean, “have suppressants, won’t trouble you”? Those words sounded even more infuriating than the nonsense Jiang Sixian usually spouted!
Inside, she was a volcanic eruption beneath the ocean, waves crashing violently. But outwardly, she maintained a cool facade as she opened the door and said flatly, “Oh. Good.”
She stepped inside, leading Jiang Sixian in before adding sarcastically, “Then hurry up and take your suppressants. Once full heat hits, it’ll be hard to endure.”
Jiang Sixian glanced at her, noting her indifferent expression, and nodded before heading to her room.
Watching her walk away without a backward glance, Jiang Yi burned with frustration. She slammed the door shut, grabbed Jiang Sixian’s arm, and yanked her back. Dark eyes locked onto her without a word.
Jiang Sixian grew uneasy under her gaze. “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Yi suppressed her pheromones, took a deep breath, and mustered her courage. “You have an alpha right in front of you. Do you want suppressants… or me?”
Jiang Sixian blinked, stunned. “I thought—”
Jiang Yi narrowed her eyes. “Thought what?”
Jiang Sixian studied her for a long moment before seizing her collar, forcing her head down, and kissing her fiercely.
Jiang Yi wrapped her arms around her, lifting her up as Jiang Sixian’s legs encircled her waist. Returning the kiss, Jiang Yi carried her to the bedroom.
Jiang Sixian quickly lost herself to the heat. Clinging to Jiang Yi, she bit down on her shoulder, tearfully accusing her, “Stubborn… tsundere… jerk…”
It had been days since their last intimacy. Jiang Yi hissed at the bite but looked down at the teary-eyed woman beneath her. Suddenly, she remembered the day she had transferred schools—pushing open the classroom door to find Jiang Sixian on the floor, her bright, clear eyes gazing up at her like a startled fawn.
She hadn’t been able to resist offering a hand, then carrying her on her back.
Jiang Yi remembered now. That had been their first meeting.
And Jiang Sixian had always been like this—once aroused, she would bite and nibble. Some things never changed.
Jiang Yi brushed aside Jiang Sixian’s disheveled hair, gazing at her for a long moment before murmuring, “Jiang Sixian…”
Jiang Sixian squirmed restlessly, clutching her shoulders as her foggy, dazed eyes met Jiang Yi’s. “Hmm?”
Jiang Yi leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m sorry…”
Whatever the truth was, she shouldn’t have taken her anger out on Jiang Sixian, shouldn’t have made her suffer.
Sorry for not yet knowing how to love someone properly.
Her lips trailed from Jiang Sixian’s forehead to her temple, the bridge of her nose, before finally settling on her mouth. “Let’s make up…”
She was yielding to Jiang Sixian.
Jiang Sixian gripped her shoulders, nipping at her chin before nodding. “Okay.”
If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.
