"Father, Mother, this is a local specialty I bought. You mentioned before that the tea from Moon is good, so I bought some while I was there." Xiao Tingjun placed the gifts he had bought on the side and looked up at his parents sitting across from him. Their faces showed little emotion, despite receiving the gifts, they didn't seem too excited.

"Tingjun, I didn't call you here just to receive your gifts. I wanted to ask you if anything has happened in the military recently?" The middle-aged Alpha sitting in his seat suddenly spoke up. He had meticulously combed his hair and was dressed in a white suit, his pheromones exuding an air of authority. He was the current head of the Federal Security Department, Xiao Tian.

"Father, things in the military have been relatively peaceful lately. I have been gradually arranging for our family members to get involved as you instructed. However, the Gu family's influence and connections are still very strong. I think it's unlikely we can shake their foundation in a short period."

"Are you suggesting that our Xiao family is inferior to the Gu family? Even though the Gu family is left with only that useless Gu Sijiu, we are still beneath them? Tingjun, is that what you mean?"

"Father, that's not what I meant. It's just that we need some opportunity to shake the Gu family. As you mentioned, the Gu family is currently struggling. Gu Nancheng is getting old, and Gu Sijiu, that useless person, is just idling in the military and recently injured his leg during training." Xiao Tingjun hastened to amend his previous statement. Hearing him speak this way, Xiao Tian's expression softened a bit, but then he seemed to remember something, looking despondent.

"Tingjun, continue to perform well in the military. I will recommend you for a promotion to the Federal Bureau soon. Keep investigating the Gu family's situation. Your sister had that incident years ago, and now your mother and I only have you as our child. The future of the Xiao family rests in your hands, do you understand?" 

"Yes, Father, I understand what you mean." After saying this, Xiao Tingjun talked with Xiao Tian for a while longer before leaving.

---

During this time, it was the rainy season, and with the strong winds, heavy rain was quite frequent. Gu Sijiu noticed how unpredictable the weather in this world could be. For example, one moment it could be bright and sunny, and the next moment dark clouds would gather, and within a few breaths, a sudden downpour would arrive.

"Major General, there's a typhoon and heavy rain expected later. Would you like us to arrange a tank to escort you back?" Seeing Gu Sijiu looking concerned while standing by the window, Shan Ni'er thought she disliked getting wet in the rain and asked softly. Gu Sijiu shook her head, she wasn't that delicate and wouldn't go so far as to request a tank escort just because she was afraid of getting wet in the rain. It was just that with such heavy rain, driving could be dangerous, and she was somewhat concerned about Song Jinzhi at their company.

"Shan Ni'er, you mentioned a tank earlier?" Gu Sijiu glanced at the increasingly heavy downpour for a moment before Shan Ni'er nodded in response. Gu Sijiu then touched her chin and turned to look at herself. 

"Do we have something less eye-catching? Like a slightly better-performing vehicle. I want to make a trip to the Song company." After Gu Sijiu finished speaking, her expression underwent a subtle change. Shan Ni'er knew that her Major General had always been concerned about the Young Madam, and in such heavy rain, she still wanted to go pick her up. In Shan Ni'er's mind, Gu Sijiu had already upgraded to a lovestruck and doting Alpha.

"Is the Major General planning to pick up the Young Madam? I can prepare a rugged SUV for you. It has a high ground clearance and is very stable, it should handle this level of storm without any issues."

"Hmm? Pick her up? Oh, her? She doesn't need me to pick her up. I just want to go to a nearby shop near the Song company to buy a cake." Gu Sijiu casually played with her hair and said as if it were nothing. Seeing Gu Sijiu eager to arrange the vehicle after she finished speaking, Shan Ni'er hesitated to speak further and eventually gave up.

She decided not to expose the Major General's clumsy lie.

Gu Sijiu drove the off-road vehicle that Shan Ni'er had arranged, heading towards the Song company herself. In the heavy rain, the automatic driving feature sometimes struggled to identify road conditions, increasing the risk of danger. Upon reaching the Song's, the heavy rain outside had accumulated water on the road. Gu Sijiu completely forgot about the so-called cake. She took out an umbrella, got out of the car, and quickly walked towards the Song's. Before entering, Gu Sijiu deliberately checked herself in the mirror at the entrance, adjusted her hair, ensured everything was in order, and then proceeded into the Song's.

"Excuse me, ma'am, do you have an appointment?" The receptionist had never seen Gu Sijiu before and did not recognize her. 

"I'm Song Jinzhi's fiancée. Could you please inform her that I'm waiting downstairs for her?" When Gu Sijiu mentioned the word "fiancée," she noticed the receptionist's surprised expression and smiled slightly, standing to the side.

"Ma'am, General Song said she will be busy for a while longer. If you don't mind, you can go upstairs to find her." The receptionist looked at Gu Sijiu with curiosity, as many people knew about the marriage alliance between the Song and Gu families. However, Gu Sijiu rarely appeared with Song Jinzhi, and only very few people from the Song company had seen her.

At first, the receptionist thought Gu Sijiu was an Omega until she got closer and realized she was actually an Alpha. To pick up Song Jinzhi, Gu Sijiu had dressed quite casually today. Given the heavy rain, it was rare for her not to wear a dress. She wore a loose-fitting light cream sweater, white trousers, and a brown trench coat as she headed to Song Jinzhi's office.

Along the way, Gu Sijiu knew many people were sizing her up or gossiping about her. Some were trying to guess who she was, while others were debating whether she was an Alpha or an Omega. Gu Sijiu felt a bit helpless, she was a perfectly beautiful woman, so why did she become someone of "unknown gender"? Besides, who said that Alphas had to be tall? Wasn't her height just right?

Gu Sijiu knocked on the office door, heard Song Jinzhi's permission to enter, and walked in. The person inside was busy handling various documents, only sparing a glance at Gu Sijiu before lowering her head again. 

"Why are you here?" Song Jinzhi signed a document and asked calmly. She was somewhat surprised by Gu Sijiu's sudden appearance at the Song's, especially given the heavy rain today, it was quite strange for someone to show up unannounced like this.

"Oh... I just thought I'd come by to grab something to eat, but all the shops are closed." Gu Sijiu casually replied, stealing a glance at Song Jinzhi, who was in a suit, before diverting her gaze elsewhere. Song Jinzhi didn't press for more details and continued with her work. However, Gu Sijiu's presence couldn't be ignored as her pheromones added a distracting element to the room.

Since the conversation with Jing Yu that day, Song Jinzhi had been intentionally avoiding Gu Sijiu, though she concealed it well by using work as an excuse. Gu Sijiu's earlier fib was too easy to see through. Song Jinzhi could sense that Gu Sijiu had come to pick her up, which warmed her heart yet made her stubbornly resist.

"I'll be done soon." Song Jinzhi felt that Gu Sijiu's presence was disrupting her work efficiency. This Alpha seemed completely unaware of how obvious her gaze was. Song Jinzhi couldn't dare to look up, fearing that she would lock eyes with Gu Sijiu. Anyone would find it hard to focus on work under such an intense gaze.

Gu Sijiu responded with a faint "mm," and before long, the two of them left the company together. At this time, many people were stuck in the office due to the heavy rain, or they were still working overtime to finish their tasks. As they stepped out the door, they attracted the attention of several colleagues. Listening to the soft murmurs around her, Song Jinzhi felt her ears grow warm. Gu Sijiu was accustomed to such situations and felt a hint of delight in her heart. She actually enjoyed the feeling of being watched with Song Jinzhi by others.

"What do you want to eat tonight, Wooden Face?" Gu Sijiu, completely unaware of Song Jinzhi's nervousness, cheerfully leaned in to ask. The pleasant scent of the Alpha mixed with her comfortable voice made Song Jinzhi realize how close they were at that moment, which seemed quite ambiguous to others. She took a small step back and casually replied before quickly leaving the company.

The rain pounded down on them, instantly wetting a small patch of Song Jinzhi's clothes. Gu Sijiu noticed this and hurriedly opened the umbrella and followed suit. Despite the short distance to the car, both of them were drenched by the rain. Once inside the car, Gu Sijiu turned on the heater. Noticing the small bumps on Song Jinzhi's exposed arm from the cold, she draped her relatively dry coat over her.

"Put it on. If you catch a cold, I'll have to take care of you, and I don't want that trouble." Gu Sijiu said, not looking at Song Jinzhi but focusing intently on the road ahead. Song Jinzhi caught a whiff of the faint lemon scent on her coat and paused for a moment before putting it on. The Alpha's scent was comforting to the Omega, and their high compatibility made Song Jinzhi yearn for this pleasant scent.

"Gu Sijiu, my dad called me today and asked when we're going to set a wedding date. I feel... that neither of us is too relaxed right now, and there are still many things at work that need to be dealt with. I hope we can postpone it further." Song Jinzhi said softly. In reality, this wasn't the first time her father had called to urge her, he would call several times a month. Song Jinzhi wanted to maintain a natural attitude about it—marrying Gu Sijiu wouldn't be bad—but recently, her thoughts had been shaken, and she began to feel uneasy.

Gu Sijiu's kindness made her feel indulgent, but once this person regained her memories and turned back into the one she had despised, she wouldn't be able to face Gu Sijiu. Song Jinzhi feared that getting too deep would lead to a painful dependency on Gu Sijiu. If she could keep her distance, she would. Thinking this way, she felt the weight of the coat on her shoulders pressing down.

"Oh, I'm not in a hurry. Whenever you're ready is fine." Listening to Song Jinzhi's words, although Gu Sijiu wasn't in a rush to get married, she couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed by Song Jinzhi's continued reluctance towards marriage. The two remained silent for a while, and then Gu Sijiu turned her head to look at Song Jinzhi before suddenly speaking up.

"Wooden Face, I've said that I won't force you to do anything you don't like, and that promise still stands." Gu Sijiu's voice was not loud, but it was very serious. Song Jinzhi turned back to meet her bright red eyes, and in that moment, her heartstrings suddenly felt a bit chaotic. She hurriedly turned her head away and looked out the window to calm her own unease.

"Gu Sijiu, will you always be like this?" Song Jinzhi asked softly, but the honking of a car outside coincidentally drowned out her voice. Gu Sijiu asked what Song Jinzhi had said, but Song Jinzhi simply shook her head without further reply.

She knew it wasn't possible forever.

---

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