Chapter 50: Please Put Away Your Incorrect Thoughts

"Knock knock."

Two knocks suddenly echoed in the quiet room. Ji Xiao abruptly stopped her downward movement. In her line of sight, the girl lying on the edge of the bed stirred lightly, as if about to wake up soon.

"Miss, it's already seven o'clock. If you don't get up now, you'll be late," Aunt Wu cautiously reminded from outside the door.

Before the words could settle, Wei Qingyu's alert and keen hearing woke up her brain. Ji Xiao didn't have time to suppress her earlier restless thoughts. The girl's sitting figure narrowly avoided her probing face.

Her jet-black hair brushed against Ji Xiao's downturned lips, leaving a warm fragrance of the girl's hair and a hint of mint.

Thump, thump...

The pounding heartbeat came more intensely than ever before.

Ji Xiao sat absentmindedly on the bed, her fingers twisting the bedsheets involuntarily tighter.

"Mi..."

But before Ji Xiao could regain her senses, seeing no response from anyone in the room, Aunt Wu pushed the door open directly. However, before the word “Miss" could leave her mouth, Aunt Wu froze in place at the doorway.

Setting aside the mess in the room for now, it was highly unusual for Wei Qingyu to appear in the same room as their Young Miss so early in the morning, especially one on the bed and the other by the bedside, and so close at that.

What... what happened last night?!

Aunt Wu couldn't hide her emotions, her face filled with surprise. Ji Xiao understood clearly and defensively exclaimed, "I didn't ask you to come in, so why did you just barge in?!"

"I..." Aunt Wu's hand gripping the door handle tightened involuntarily.

After hearing the nervous explanation, Ji Xiao's guilt also dissipated.

She knew Aunt Wu meant no harm, so she took a breath, and reminded her, "Next time, if I don't respond after five minutes, then come in."

"Yes, I understand," Aunt Wu nodded hurriedly. "Breakfast is ready. Miss, please change and come down quickly."

With that, Aunt Wu grasped the door handle to leave Ji Xiao's room.

But the next moment, Wei Qingyu called out, "Wait."

Aunt Wu's nervous heart tightened again. She looked at Wei Qingyu and respectfully replied, "Miss Wei."

"Yesterday, your Miss had a stomach ache during her susceptible period. Prepare a lighter breakfast for her today." Wei Qingyu said.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Wu's face instantly tensed. She briskly entered the room, showing concern for Ji Xiao like an old mother: "What? Miss, your stomach hurts? Did you eat a lot of spicy food again? You couldn't eat spicy food when you were young... How come you're sensitive again? Are you okay? I've told you..."

The incessant words and instructions once again descended upon Ji Xiao's head. She listened to Aunt Wu's endless chatter and quickly interrupted, "I'm fine now!"

"Yeah, just remember to tidy up my room today."

The lights flickered in Aunt Wu's sight, and it was then that she noticed the Alpha suppressant discarded on the floor.

Following Wei Qingyu and Ji Xiao's reminder, the messy room suddenly had a reasonable explanation.

"I will definitely remember to do that, but Miss, you must have been worn out during your susceptible period last night. Do you need to take the day off today…"

Aunt Wu's words were about to continue when Wei Qingyu, who had been sitting beside her all along, stood up on her own.

She glanced lightly at the girl beside her, whom Aunt Wu cared for so much, and calmly said, "Then I'll leave first."

Her voice was calm and indifferent, just as usual. Yet there was a slight hoarseness that Ji Xiao noticed, like someone who had just woken up.

The light fell evenly on the girl's slender back. Although only one night had passed, Ji Xiao felt that the loose pajamas seemed even emptier.

A faint scent of mint drifted away from her, hinting at the weakness from last night's lack of rest.

Ji Xiao pursed her lips, regaining some of the original owner’s noble demeanor. She addressed the girl's departing figure, "Wei Qingyu, why don't you rest at home today? You didn't sleep well last night. Going to school with dark circles under your eyes would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?"

Her voice carried a hint of stubbornness and wilfulness, yet lacked the usual impatience and arrogance.

Hidden in her tone was a cautious concern, as if quietly caring for her.

Hearing this, Wei Qingyu felt a warmth in her heart that was hard to describe.

She finally understood Ji Xiao's awkward words and gently shook her head, saying, "No need, I'm fine."

The girl then looked at Ji Xiao, her clear eyes seeming to see through the girl's thoughts.

Ji Xiao felt a bit guilty but insisted, "Who cares if you're fine or not..."

At this, Wei Qingyu ambiguously replied with a soft “Mm" and turned to leave Ji Xiao's room.

Such an attitude made Ji Xiao even more uneasy. She looked at Aunt Wu with an emphatic question, "Do I?!"

"No, of course not," Aunt Wu quickly shook her head, finally understanding where the discordance in the room came from.

Last night, Wei Qingyu stayed with their Miss’ during her susceptible period.

But they just so happened to be an Omega and an Alpha.

As is well known, during an Omega's susceptible period, Alphas have the least control over themselves...

And their Young Miss happens to be the top-tier S-class Alpha...

Aunt Wu watched Wei Qingyu's departing figure, her gaze lingering for a long time.

In her mind, the shocking scene surged from when she had just entered the room.

Actually, from a certain perspective, their young lady and Wei Qingyu were somewhat compatible.

Childhood friends, innocent and carefree, and even after their attributes diverged, both remained S-class...

"I know what you're thinking."

Ji Xiao's slightly deep voice suddenly sounded in Aunt Wu's ear.

Somehow, she felt particularly uncomfortable seeing Aunt Wu's intense gaze fixed on Wei Qingyu's figure.

Ji Xiao: "Please put away your incorrect thoughts."

Aunt Wu thought Ji Xiao had seen through her belief that Wei Qingyu and their young lady were compatible, and her heart couldn't help but tremble.

She quickly dispelled her CP-shipping thoughts, picking up her professional ethics, and said, "Yes, Miss."

Click.

Aunt Wu quickly tidied up the mess in Ji Xiao's room and then left.

The room, which had been somewhat crowded just moments ago, returned to its emptiness.

Ji Xiao stood in front of the mirror, tying her school uniform necktie. Her golden-orange eyes, however, appeared distant and unfocused.

The girl's fingers inexplicably pressed against her lips, where the soft petals still held a faint hint of mint.

If Aunt Wu hadn't barged in just then, would you have kissed her?

And why did you feel that desire to kiss her?

The morning sunlight filtered through the window glass of the dressing room, casting a particularly bright reflection on Ji Xiao in the mirror.

The girl's gaze was deep as she scrutinized her reflection, feeling strangely unable to understand her own heart.

….

Winter days always seem a bit dull, with dry tree branches and chilly air making people anticipate the arrival of holidays even more.

So, in the last month of the year, Christmas Eve arrived as expected amidst anticipation. From the way to school to inside the classroom, elements of Christmas were fully utilized.

Ji Xiao walked into the classroom with her backpack, accompanied by Wei Qingyu. At first glance, she noticed the large Santa Claus painted on the window beside her seat.

"Wow!" Ji Xiao couldn't help but exclaim. She tugged Wei Qingyu beside her, "Look, such a huge Santa Claus head!"

Wei Qingyu responded with a nonchalant “Mm," hands still in her pockets, gazing coldly at the Santa Claus.

The style of this Santa Claus differed from the drawings on the other classroom windows, clearly indicating someone had intentionally painted it on this particular window...

Wei Qingyu was pondering when a shy girl from class approached. "Ji Xiao, do you think it looks nice?"

"Of course, it looks great." Ji Xiao nodded sincerely, oblivious to any underlying meanings. "I wonder where the class monitor got it from."

The girl blushed at Ji Xiao's straightforward approval and softly replied, "I painted it. I'm glad you like it."

Indeed...

Wei Qingyu glanced at the girl standing next to Ji Xiao and couldn't help furrowing her brow slightly. She pursed her lips, about to find an excuse to take Ji Xiao away, but was interrupted.

"Wei Qingyu, someone is looking for you." A girl who had just entered the classroom tapped her shoulder and pointed to a boy outside holding something.

The boy noticed Wei Qingyu looking at him and waved at her. She almost immediately knew why he was looking for her.

She wanted to refuse and pull Ji Xiao away.

But when she turned her head, she found Ji Xiao had already been taken to the window by the shy girl.

They stood side by side, with their backs to Wei Qingyu, the light and shadow of the giant Santa Claus head framing them together.

The young girl wasn't intimate in her gestures, and Ji Xiao maintained a distance from the girl. Yet, Wei Qingyu found the scene glaringly uncomfortable to watch.

A strange emotion arose in her heart, urging her to lift her feet and follow the boy who had come to find her.

Little did Wei Qingyu know.

The next second she walked out with the boy, Ji Xiao turned to look at her.

There had been a heavy snowfall just last night, and the trees in the courtyard were laden with a thick layer of snow.

The courtyard was cleared to reveal a winding path of red bricks amidst the white snow, on which, brown leather shoes were tapping gently.

The thick hem of the winter school uniform skirt hung down below the girl's knees, while black knee-high socks outlined a pair of pretty ankles.

Being a top student didn't diminish the girl's height; instead, it complemented her cool and obedient demeanor.

The surrounding ruckus was blurred in Ji Xiao's view, making the delicate world of white snow and red plum blossoms exceptionally beautiful.

It would be even better if that annoying boy wasn't by Wei Qingyu's side.

"Ji Xiao, our teacher said we don't have self-study in the last period this afternoon. Can I ask you out for a movie?"

The soft voice of the young girl interrupted Ji Xiao's thoughts.

She watched Wei Qingyu walk away with another boy, feeling a sense of inexplicable displeasure, let alone developing interest in something she wasn't interested in, to begin with.

She shook her head and made up an excuse politely, "Sorry, I already have plans with someone else tonight."

"Okay." The young girl responded with a slightly pitiful Omega-like disappointed expression, as if Ji Xiao's rejection was something to be pitied.

But Ji Xiao didn't soften for such expressions. She nodded at the girl and sat back down in her seat.

The classroom gradually quieted down after the bell rang, but Ji Xiao, sitting in the last row, couldn't calm her mind no matter what.

Her gaze lingered on the word "murder" at the edge of her vocabulary book, yet her peripheral vision kept returning to Wei Qingyu's empty seat.

"Ding ding ding ding~"

Creak.

The sound of chairs scraping across the floor coincided with the morning self-study bell.

In front of classmates inspecting the morning self-study, Ji Xiao poured out the water from her tumbler and confidently walked out of the classroom with the empty tumbler in hand.

Just moments ago, the teaching building was noisy and chaotic, but now it was orderly.

As Ji Xiao passed each classroom, she could hear clear and uniform recitations. She followed the direction Wei Qingyu and the boy had taken earlier, heading towards the rarely-visited water room on the west side of the teaching building.

"Why won't you accept it? It's just a holiday gift."

A boy's voice came from the open space behind the water room, causing Ji Xiao to instantly slow her pace, filled with curiosity.

It's been five minutes already; why are they still at the gift-giving stage?

Ji Xiao sneakily peered out with her eyes toward the direction of the voice.

The boy kept trying to hand his gift to Wei Qingyu, but her hand remained by her side, her face as cold as ice, clearly rejecting him outright.

As soon as the boy finished speaking, Wei Qingyu ruthlessly declined again, "Sorry, if there's nothing urgent, I'll take my leave, senior."

Wei Qingyu lifted her foot to leave, but the boy persisted. Taking a quick step, he blocked Wei Qingyu's path and said, "Come on, you called me senior, just give me some face."

Wei Qingyu looked at the boy's rude behavior and slightly furrowed her brow, "The bell for class has already rung. I'm going back."

"Hey! Didn't you hear what I said? I've prepared this for a long time, okay? Don't be so ungrateful."

Saying this, the boy reached out to grab Wei Qingyu as she tried to walk past him.

Wei Qingyu's reaction was no match for the boy's strength, and she watched helplessly as he tried to hold her back.

Disgust surged within her heart.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Just as Wei Qingyu felt she couldn't dodge in time, an exceptionally cold voice, accompanied by the scent of peach brandy, descended upon her.

Wei Qingyu looked up in surprise, only to see Ji Xiao holding a tumbler in one hand and tightly gripping the boy's hand, which was reaching towards her, with the other.

The Alpha's extremely oppressive anger burned in those golden-orange eyes, as she protected Wei Qingyu firmly behind her with absolute possession.

Author's Note:

Pigeon:  Hello? Do you have the contact information for a vinegar factory? Yes, we urgently need it here.

Cold Wei: I never drink vinegar.

Coward Ji: I'm allergic to vinegar.