Chapter 9

The group looked imposing and carried an air of authority.

Thanks to her, Zhong Ning also experienced what it felt like to be the center of attention during an outing.

She couldn’t help but feel especially grateful, thinking, luckily she wasn’t socially anxious, otherwise she might’ve even forgotten which leg to step with.

They went up to the seventh floor and arrived at a specialized department. A nurse was called over by the bodyguard and asked, “Ms. Zhong Ning, is that you? Please come this way for the check-up.”

It was probably for something like a premarital examination. Zhong Ning didn’t have any resistance to medical check-ups, so she followed the nurse without hesitation.

Xie Shiqing entered the examination room alone. A doctor with gold-rimmed glasses and a cool demeanor gave her a glance and said, “Sit down. We’ll draw some blood in a moment.”

“Dr. Qi, my pheromone imbalance disorder is curable now.”

Qi Wan paused as she held the syringe. “You’ve found a compatible alpha?”

Xie Shiqing let out a soft laugh, her tone lingering, “One hundred percent compatible. You know her too—Zhong Ning.”

Qi Wan replied, “Then you should better think of a way. I heard she has quite a few complaints about you.”

Xie Shiqing laid her wrist flat. The needle brought a slight sting as it pierced her skin, but her brows didn’t move at all. Her other hand propped up her chin. “She already came with me today. She’s outside doing a full-body check-up.”

“By the way, we already slept together yesterday. The temporary marking went smoothly too.”

Qi Wan’s hand trembled, and the needle almost pierced through the vein. She gave the delicate omega sitting in the chair a long look, suspiciously asking, “You didn’t do anything improper, did you?”

“How could I? She was willing,” Xie Shiqing emphasized. “Willing to be engaged to me.”

“What kind of person do you take me for?”

“Definitely not a good one,” Qi Wan replied, neither too harsh nor too soft. “Just keep yourself in check. Don’t let things blow up.”

Xie Shiqing didn’t get angry. Instead, she put on a fake hurt expression. “You don’t believe me? I really didn’t do anything. You’ll see when she comes in later.”

“She really cares about me.”

Qi Wan didn’t respond. She simply didn’t believe a single word.

The name Zhong Ning—who in their circle hadn’t heard of this infamously? Believing she’d treat Xie Shiqing nicely was about as likely as believing she was the reincarnation of Wu Zetian.

Xie Shiqing let out a long sigh, then asked suddenly, “After the pheromone imbalance disorder is cured, will it relapse?”

Qi Wan answered truthfully, “If there’s continuous soothing from a compatible pheromone, definitely not. If not, then definitely yes.”

A tube of blood was drawn, and Xie Shiqing’s already pale face seemed to become even more translucent.

With her usual smile faded and the curve of her lips flattened, the woman’s gaze was pitch-black and lifeless. Her black hair fell to the sides of her face, casting shadows. All the charm was gone—only gloom remained.

“After a deep mark, can an omega’s dependence on their alpha be broken?”

Qi Wan put down the syringe in her hand and handed it to the nurse outside the door for testing. She then turned around, shut the door tightly, and didn’t answer right away. Instead, she took a bottle of vitamin gummies from the drawer and placed it into Xie Shiqing’s hand.

“Take two.”

Watching her absentmindedly twist open the cap, pour out two orange-flavored gummies, and pop them into her mouth, she finally answered the earlier question.

“A deep mark affects both A and O equally. It’s not just about dependency. You crave each other emotionally and physically. You trust one another. That feeling is mutual. It’s not about who gains more or who loses more.”

“But I don’t like it,” Xie Shiqing said softly. “This feeling of being controlled—I really don’t like it.”

Qi Wan sighed. “If you want to break it, it can only be done through sheer willpower—mentally breaking free from the influence.”

Her tone was flat. “Actually, it’s not that hard. If every deep-marked couple were lovers, there wouldn’t be so many marriages that go nowhere.

“But your physical condition is special. After breaking it, you can’t rely on tranquilizers to get through your heat cycles. The chances of your pheromone imbalance disorder relapsing are also high. I don’t recommend it.”

Xie Shiqing seemed to think of something and said slowly, “If there’s enough sample serum, could a tranquilizer suitable for me be developed?”

Qi Wan clearly caught the implication in her words. After a moment of contemplation, she said, “It’s worth a try.”

After all, tranquilizers were synthesized from artificial alpha pheromones. There were no medications on the market suitable for Xie Shiqing because the match rate was too low—using them would only worsen her condition.

“I’ll make her cooperate,” Xie Shiqing said. “Of course, I’ll need your help too.”

Qi Wan sighed again. “I must really owe you something.”

Xie Shiqing gave a soft smile. “Thank you, Auntie.”

————————

Now

Xie Shiqing: I don’t want to be controlled by anyone!

Later

Xie Shiqing (crying): Wuwuwu Ning Ning please come control me, I love this feeling!

By seniority, Qi Wan was Xie Shiqing’s aunt, but in age, she wasn’t much older—only thirty-three this year.

The Qi family situation was a mess. Qi Wan’s biological mother passed away not long after giving birth to her. The family head quickly remarried, and things became chaotic. Madam Qi brought her younger sister into her household.

Qi Wan and Xie Shiqing practically grew up together. The age gap between them was only five years.

Calling her an elder was more of a formality—their relationship was more like that of friends.

On the day of the Xie family’s car accident, the family head and Madam Qi died at the scene. Xie Shiqing was lucky, sustaining only minor injuries. The most serious were her eyes; the rest were just cuts and bruises.

She had rushed to the emergency department, only to hear from the nurses that it was Madam Qi who had shielded her daughter with her own body, and her spine pierced by the car door that came crashing in.

It had been a sunny day, with drifting clouds and radiant sunlight. Like a dark irony.

From that moment on, Xie Shiqing’s personality changed.

She became temperamental and calculating. Though she still smiled often, there was little sincerity behind it.

If the other alpha had been someone else, Qi Wan might have hesitated. But since it was Zhong Ning, and considering all the explicit insults she had heard from her, Qi Wan didn’t hesitate at all—nor did she feel a shred of guilt.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep