This was Jiang Sixian’s first true heat period spent with an alpha after her differentiation.
Not in a dream, not some adolescent fantasy—she was truly holding Jiang Yi, lying beneath her, clinging to her, biting her, enveloping her as the two became completely one.
Jiang Sixian felt utterly wrecked. On the first night, Jiang Yi had carried her to the bathroom, cleaned her up, then wrapped her in blankets to sleep.
When she woke the next morning, Jiang Yi was still beside her. Seeing her awake, Jiang Yi reached over to feel her forehead and asked softly, “You have a meeting this morning. Do you want me to accompany you, or should you take suppressants and go?”
Jiang Sixian shifted carefully to separate their bodies, then rolled over to straddle Jiang Yi. Leaning down to kiss her shoulder, she murmured, “I want you…”
Jiang Yi wrapped her arms around Jiang Sixian’s waist and sat up against the headboard, settling her in her lap. Their breaths mingled, body heat merging as Jiang Sixian cupped Jiang Yi’s face to kiss her brows.
Jiang Yi leaned back against the headboard and reached for the phone on the bedside table, handing it to Jiang Sixian. “Don’t rush. You’re not feverish yet. Call your assistant first to cancel this morning’s meeting.”
Jiang Sixian glared at her in dissatisfaction, then suddenly bit her shoulder, complaining indignantly, “How can you still think about other things at a time like this?”
Jiang Yi kept holding out the phone while retorting, “I had professional training, okay? Sis, stop biting—my shoulders are already a mess.”
Jiang Sixian glanced down at the still-pale skin of her shoulder and frowned. “Really? I don’t think it’s enough…”
Jiang Yi’s expression darkened. “Just make the call. Don’t delay things.”
Jiang Sixian squirmed against her, then cleared her throat and sent a voice message to her assistant: “I have urgent matters today. Reschedule the meeting for next week. Email me any critical issues.”
Jiang Yi’s eyes widened as she felt Jiang Sixian’s movements. Glancing at where their bodies connected, then back up at Jiang Sixian’s composed face, she gritted out in a low voice, “Jiang Sixian!”
Jiang Sixian ended the call, looping her arms around Jiang Yi’s neck. “What? Don’t like it?”
She smiled, leaning close to whisper in Jiang Yi’s ear, “Or do you prefer me…to make a proper phone call?”
Jiang Yi sucked in a sharp breath. Gripping Jiang Sixian’s waist, she looked down at her. “Since you’re not feverish, you think you can act recklessly now, huh?”
Jiang Sixian grinned, eyes curving mischievously. “I never said that.”
Feeling her subtle movements, Jiang Yi lifted her up and said coldly, “Just wait. I’ll make you cry.”
Jiang Sixian wasn’t intimidated at all. She nuzzled Jiang Yi’s ear and laughed softly. “I’m waiting. Make me cry even harder.”
Faced with such provocation, Jiang Yi had no choice but to pin her down and demonstrate exactly what happened to those who challenged an alpha.
For three straight days, Jiang Sixian nearly lost her voice. Afterward, neither mentioned the incident in the car again, reverting to their usual “boss and bodyguard” dynamic.
Time flowed like water. Ever since recalling her first meeting with Jiang Sixian, Jiang Yi’s memories had been returning intermittently—like downloading cloud backups on a glitchy computer.
Fragments of her life before sixteen gradually pieced together, reconstructing her childhood and adolescence.
These memories were all about her mother.
Many nights, she dreamed of her seven- or eight-year-old self darting through the cramped alleys of an urban village, either busing tables at the small family restaurant or handling cash at the register.
In the dreams, a gentle-faced woman—whose features somewhat resembled hers—stood at the wok, stir-frying dishes with practiced ease. Between orders, she’d glance over at Jiang Yi, eyes soft with affection.
Customers often praised, “Boss Jiang, what a good kid you’ve got! So quick with numbers at such a young age.”
“And so hardworking—always running around helping out. With her around, you hardly need extra staff.”
The mild-mannered proprietress would smile and explain, “She only helps during school breaks. She’s still young—her studies come first.”
The patrons would say poor children matured early, that she should make use of her while she could.
The woman would just smile and say, “She’s still little.”
Even after starting school, Jiang Yi kept coming to the restaurant. While her mother cooked, she’d sit on a stool doing homework and handling payments.
Occasionally, customers noticing her neat handwriting would compliment her schoolwork.
Little Jiang Yi would lift her chin proudly. “Of course! My mom taught me!”
Around nine in the evening, her mother would close up. Jiang Yi helped clear tables and chairs. Too short to manage alone, her mother always stepped in to assist.
After tidying up and locking the door, her mother would massage her sore back from the day’s labor and check Jiang Yi’s homework.
Jiang Yi would eagerly scoot behind her, offering tiny fist pounds to her shoulders while chirping, “Mom, aren’t I amazing? Got everything right! Praise me!”
Finished grading, her mother would pinch her cheeks and say, “My Xiao Yi is so smart. Come here for kisses.”
Jiang Yi would beam, tilting her face to receive two proud pecks.
Days passed busily. Jiang Yi grew taller, her grades improved, but schoolyard bullying worsened.
At some point, bruises began appearing on her body. One day, her mother noticed.
Without scolding, she simply held Jiang Yi’s hand and asked softly if it hurt. When Jiang Yi said no, her mother fetched ointment.
While applying it, large teardrops suddenly splashed onto Jiang Yi’s hand.
Jiang Yi immediately hugged her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Her mother shook her head, forcing a smile. “Sometimes I wonder…if you’d have a better life not being my child.”
Jiang Yi clung tightly. “Never! I’m only happy because I’m your child. You’re the best gift the world gave me.”
Her mother held her close. “And you’re mine.” Sighing, she looked up through tears. “Xiao Yi, let’s enroll you in martial arts. I don’t want you coming home hurt like this again.”
She’d rather her child be the bully than the bullied. Seeing her mother’s solemn expression, Jiang Yi nodded. “Okay.”
From then on, she trained with the neighborhood sanda coach.
Children grow fast. Soon, she was nearly adult-height. When local thugs once caused trouble at the restaurant, Jiang Yi smashed stools over their heads until they fled.
After that, everyone knew the Jiang family had a top student who was also a tiny terror.
That day, Jiang Yi was elated. After thirteen years of her mother’s protection, she could finally protect her back.
She thought they’d live happily ever after—that their modest life would improve through her efforts, that her mother’s overworked back would finally rest.
But luck never favored Jiang Yi.
She vaguely remembered that day—a stormy afternoon when her teacher said her mother had collapsed at the restaurant and been hospitalized. Jiang Yi sprinted through the rain to the bus, arriving soaked just in time to receive devastating news.
Brain cancer. Even with surgery, the risks were extreme.
After the diagnosis, her mother refused treatment, wanting to leave their savings for Jiang Yi.
Learning this, Jiang Yi wailed in the hospital room, clinging to her mother.
What had she said?
“I want Mom, not money!”
Her mother held her as they both wept, making a promise: “Xiao Yi, I won’t let you grow up without a mother.”
Jiang Yi remembered clearly—it was Mid-Autumn Festival. While families reunited, hers teetered on the brink.
Jiang Yi woke crying. Wiping her face, she found it wet with tears.
She’d wept silently in sleep, so Jiang Sixian remained undisturbed. Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yi slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
At the sink, she splashed cold water on her face repeatedly before meeting her own red-eyed reflection in the mirror.
“Jiang Yi…” she whispered hoarsely.
Who are you?
The Jiang Yi who died in a crash at eighteen? Or your mother’s Jiang Yi?
She inhaled sharply, patted her face dry, finished washing up, then dressed.
The rustling woke Jiang Sixian, who sat up drowsily, squinting at the tall figure by the bed. “Jiang Yi? Why up so early?”
Buttoning her shirt, Jiang Yi turned. “An old comrade’s in trouble. I’m taking the morning off—I’ll brief A’Quan on security.”
She bent to kiss Jiang Sixian’s cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back by afternoon.”
As Jiang Sixian rubbed her eyes, Jiang Yi finished dressing and headed out, calling over her shoulder, “I’m taking the car you assigned me. Phone’s on—call if you need me.”
Her urgency made Jiang Sixian ask, “Where are you rushing off to?”
Jiang Yi paused at the door. “Where I belong.”
The cemetery where her mother was buried had surfaced in her mind. For some reason, she needed to go.
She felt…her mother must have missed her too.
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