"Back so early?" Gu Sijiu was puzzled to see Song Jinzhi home at this hour. In her view, given Song Jinzhi's glamorous outfit, she must have been attending some kind of event. She thought Song Jinzhi wouldn't be home until at least around 11 PM, yet it was only 10.
Gu Sijiu swirled the heated milk in her glass and took a sip. She had to admit that while food in this world was generally unappetizing, the milk was much better than what she was used to. The milk here was sweet and rich without any of the typical sourness, making it a delightful drink. Gu Sijiu had quickly fallen in love with the milk since arriving, and given the physical aspects of her original body, drinking milk had become part of her daily routine.
As Song Jinzhi took off her high heels, she looked at Gu Sijiu half-reclining on the sofa. While she could understand why someone would drink milk before bed, she couldn't grasp the meaning of using a wine glass for it. Watching Gu Sijiu shake the glass, tilt her head back, and sip delicately like she was tasting wine felt bizarre to Song Jinzhi, especially given how revealing Gu Sijiu's dress was.
Song Jinzhi had bought sexy dresses before, but if such a dress was worn by any Omega or Beta, she wouldn't find it strange. However, with Gu Sijiu, who had never worn a dress when she knew her before, now changing her military style to various sexy dresses, Song Jinzhi found it odd.
Song Jinzhi wasn't particularly interested in Gu Sijiu's changes. She turned to go to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, only to turn around and find Gu Sijiu had followed her in. Song Jinzhi instinctively took a step back to create some distance, only to see Gu Sijiu cleaning the wine glass and then walking over to her. There was a hint of confusion on Gu Sijiu's face, then she wrinkled her nose and sniffed a few times around herself.
Gu Sijiu's actions startled Song Jinzhi, triggering unpleasant memories in an instant. Pheromones were a mysterious thing—without physical contact between Omega and Alpha, their scents wouldn't linger on each other. However, once they made even slight contact, a trace would remain, and the longer and more intimate the contact, the stronger the pheromone scent would become.
Gu Sijiu had experienced this before. Whenever she had contact with other Alphas at work, she would sarcastically question herself about being desperate for attention, looking down on her as a flawed Alpha. Song Jinzhi almost heard the most unbearable words of her life from her. She wasn't afraid of Gu Sijiu, but she didn't want to hear those words again, so she tried to avoid contact with other Alphas as much as possible. Unexpectedly, an accident happened tonight.
Song Jinzhi tensed her body, her face calm but instinctively crossing her arms in a protective gesture. Seeing her reaction, Gu Sijiu cocked her head. She smelled the scent belonging to other Alphas on Song Jinzhi, faintly mixed with a tea fragrance amid the magnolia. Fresh and invigorating, it had a clear and transparent scent.
Feeling tense, Song Jinzhi maintained a calm expression but instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, subconsciously protecting herself. Noticing her reaction, Gu Sijiu tilted her head. She caught the scent of another Alpha on Song Jinzhi, mingled with a tea fragrance amid the magnolia. It was refreshing and invigorating, giving off a sense of clarity.
Driven by her Alpha instincts, Gu Sijiu curiously approached to take a sniff. She wasn't particularly suspicious or wary, after all, she didn't know much about pheromones. Moreover, what Song Jinzhi did with others was certainly none of her business. Gu Sijiu merely found the faint tea scent appealing, which prompted her to take a few more whiffs.
"You have a faint scent of tea on you." Gu Sijiu propped herself up and said softly. Although she still had a slight smile on her face, and there was no trace of gloom in her eyes, Song Jinzhi's heart skipped a beat because of this sentence. She calmly glanced at Gu Sijiu, took a few steps towards the kitchen door.
"Really? I met a friend with A'yu today. I almost fell, and she helped me."
"Oh, that friend must be an Alpha, right?" Gu Sijiu asked casually, unaware that this sentence made Song Jinzhi's breathing slow down. Her gaze wandered in the living room, pondering what she could use to defend herself if Gu Sijiu went crazy and attacked, but in the next moment, Gu Sijiu's words left her frozen in place, forgetting her thoughts entirely.
"The scent is actually quite nice." Gu Sijiu finished, turned back and blinked at herself. After hearing this, Song Jinzhi felt a sense of relief mingled with a sense of unease. She hurriedly walked upstairs, out of Gu Sijiu's sight, and Song Jinzhi even started to jog. She rushed back into the room, immediately locked the door. Feeling a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, Song Jinzhi awkwardly pursed her lips. She didn't expect herself to be so nervous to the point of feeling like a guilty person.
The night passed without incident, and Gu Sijiu didn't pursue the matter further, leaving Song Jinzhi wondering before bed why Gu Sijiu hadn't questioned her about the other Alpha's scent on her. After all, in the past, even the slightest trace of someone else's scent would have sent Gu Sijiu into a rage. But her current demeanor was surprisingly calm.
The next morning, as soon as Song Jinzhi got up, she received a call from her parents, mentioning it had been a while since they last saw them and inviting them to come home. Song Jinzhi noted that her mother referred to "them," meaning she was expected to bring Gu Sijiu along. The thought of bringing Gu Sijiu home for dinner was something Song Jinzhi was a thousand times reluctant to do, but she knew if she didn't take Gu Sijiu, her parents would call her directly, which would make her seem rude.
After some thought, Song Jinzhi informed Gu Sijiu, saying that she wanted her to come home for dinner with her tonight. Gu Sijiu nodded in response, this would be her first visit to Song Jinzhi's home since arriving in this world. She asked Shan Ni'er to help buy some gifts to bring along and began getting ready before they left. Gu Sijiu felt she was no longer the original person she once was. While she didn't plan to develop anything further with Song Jinzhi, she still felt it necessary to make a good impression when meeting her elders.
Song Jinzhi glanced at her phone for the third time, feeling impatient, and cast a slightly annoyed look at Gu Sijiu sitting in front of the makeup mirror. If she remembered correctly, the other person had been lingering in front of the dressing table for a whole hour. Song Jinzhi didn't particularly mind Gu Sijiu putting on makeup, she knew many Alphas who attended business events and would naturally wear makeup for etiquette. However, as a military person, Gu Sijiu rarely used to wear such heavy makeup.
Song Jinzhi had noticed that Gu Sijiu had been acting strangely not just for a day or two, but ever since that day she came back with a new hairstyle, as if she had suddenly flipped some sort of special switch. Song Jinzhi had seen her applying face masks at night and giving herself facial massages whenever she had time. She had packed many military uniforms into boxes, hung colorful dresses and high heels in the wardrobe, even her bag had undergone a transformation.
At this moment, Gu Sijiu was sitting in front of the dressing table with her legs crossed, wearing a more dazzling red off-shoulder dress than the previous night. Gu Sijiu's skin was fair, and compared to most Alphas, her shoulders appeared much rounder and petite. The inverted eight-shaped collarbone below, matched well with the red dress. Her long hair cascaded down, and the exquisite makeup made her naturally beautiful face stand out even more.
Noticing Song Jinzhi's gaze, Gu Sijiu looked up and smiled, playfully tossing her hair and twisting at the waist. Watching her movements filled Song Jinzhi with an inexplicable annoyance and disgust. She felt that Gu Sijiu was clearly trying to irritate her or provoke her with these antics.
"Are you ready yet? It's almost time, and I don't want our elders waiting too long." Song Jinzhi said in a low voice, her disdain undisguised in her words. Gu Sijiu raised an eyebrow, lightly brushing her eyebrows with an eyebrow brush. "Today, we are going to your house for dinner. After all, we're a couple in name. You wouldn't want me to embarrass you, would you? As an Omega, you should at least dress up properly. Are you giving up because no matter how you dress, you can only be my foil? Is that why you've given up?"
Gu Sijiu's voice was sweet and clingy, sending shivers down Song Jinzhi's spine. Choosing to ignore her, Song Jinzhi stepped outside to get some fresh air in the garden. Once she was outside, Gu Sijiu finished her makeup, posed in front of the mirror a few times, and only after she was satisfied did she go to call Song Jinzhi to leave.
Their wedding house wasn't far from the Song family home, it was only a 30-minute drive. Once they arrived, Gu Sijiu presented the gifts she had brought to Song Jinzhi's parents, who welcomed them both with joy. The Song family had a significant business presence and considerable wealth, yet their old home was decorated quite modestly. The interior was primarily simple, with warm decorative pieces that perfectly addressed the house's spaciousness, which might have felt cold otherwise.
After chatting with Song Jinzhi's parents for a while, Gu Sijiu watched as they went to rest, telling the two to wander around since dinner would be ready soon. Gu Sijiu understood that Song Jinzhi wasn't particularly interested in exploring the Song family home with her, so she decided to spend some time in the garden alone. As she walked on the grass in her high heels, a pure white shepherd dog suddenly came running from a distance.
Its fur was neatly groomed, spotless white, and carried a pleasant scent, indicating excellent care. It wore a red collar around its neck with a cute bone pattern on it. The sheepdog first sniffed itself, then circled around itself as if confirming something.
Seeing the dog made Gu Sijiu's heart soften. She loved cats and dogs but had never been able to keep pets due to her obsession with cleanliness, despite having considered it many times in the past. In this technologically advanced world, there were medications and vaccines available to eliminate pet odors and parasites. This shepherd was very clean, it had no trace of an animal smell, just a fresh, subtle scent.
Seeing it looking at her with its deep black eyes, Gu Sijiu couldn't resist crouching down and waving at it. "Han Han, come here and let me pet you." she said softly. From the original owner's memories, she knew the dog's name was Han Han. Although she wasn't entirely sure, when she called out the name, the shepherd obediently jumped over.
Seeing it wagging its tail in front of her, Gu Sijiu petted its head, feeling like the dog understood her words, extremely well-behaved. Gu Sijiu lost track of time playing with Han Han in the garden. When Song Jinzhi came to call her for dinner, she was surprised to see the scene of the two getting along so well.
It was peculiar to see Han Han, who had been raised by Song Jinzhi since childhood, lying on the ground letting Gu Sijiu rub its belly, looking utterly content. Song Jinzhi knew very well that Gu Sijiu didn't like dogs, whenever she had visited before, she had feigned kindness. Dogs were sensitive animals, and they could tell if humans genuinely liked them or not.
Han Han had always disliked Gu Sijiu, barking incessantly every time she was around, the barks carrying a hint of threat as a protective gesture toward its owner. In the past, Song Jinzhi had been puzzled by Han Han's behavior, but after seeing Gu Sijiu's true nature, she understood. Now, watching Han Han, who used to bark fiercely at Gu Sijiu, behaving so well and even playing with her, Song Jinzhi felt a mix of confusion and dissatisfaction toward the dog she had raised.
It felt as if a child she had raised had betrayed her. With a furrowed brow, Song Jinzhi walked over, her mood complicated as she looked at Han Han cuddled up with Gu Sijiu.
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