A White Cloud (GL ABO) - Chapter 61

“Did I disturb you?” Tomb Cheng asked as she walked into the room.

She naturally picked up the glass Shen Zhiqing drank from earlier, not noticing her expression.

She sipped from it, assuming Shen Zhiqing hadn’t used it since the water level barely changed from last night.

Unbeknownst to her, as her throat bobbed while drinking, Shen Zhiqing’s hand, hidden under the blanket, tightly gripped the bedsheet.

Though they had done more intimate things, this simple, domestic act somehow felt more embarrassing.

An illusion that she and Mu Mu were like a couple married for years swirled in Shen Zhiqing’s heart.

Shen Zhiqing slipped on one of Tomb Cheng’s shirts and knelt on the bed, hugging her.

She rested her chin on Tomb Cheng’s stomach, looking up at her. “Not at all~” she said.

The morning felt chilly, hinting at rain.

Earlier, Tomb Cheng stood by the window to clear her mind and noticed morning dew on the community’s lawn.

The soil looked looser, likely from light rain overnight.

The warm palm wrapped around her waist felt comfortable against her skin.

Tomb Cheng absentmindedly finished the water under Shen Zhiqing’s gaze, who still clung to her.

“Doctor Shen?” she said.

“Hm,” Shen Zhiqing replied.

Her brown curls brushed Tomb Cheng’s waist as she moved.

Shen Zhiqing rubbed her face against her toned abdomen, acting spoiled like Bread begging for food.

Remembering the cat hadn’t been fed, Tomb Cheng tugged at the hands on her waist.

“Time to get up. I need to head out soon,” she said.

Shen Zhiqing rubbed against her again.

The oversized shirt revealed ambiguous kiss marks on her body, with pinch marks and fingerprints on her pale inner thighs from last night.

Tomb Cheng’s back bore scratches from Shen Zhiqing’s nails.

The hot shower earlier stung, a testament to last night’s intensity.

Thinking of this, she gently removed Shen Zhiqing’s hands from her waist, said she’d feed the cat, and left.

Shen Zhiqing sat in the room, stunned.

Tomb Cheng’s attitude had grown noticeably distant compared to before.

She talked with her, cleaned up afterward, stored used condoms in the nightstand, prepared contraceptives and hot water, served porridge, fed the cat, and reminded her to drive safely.

Yet, her words carried distance.

Beyond emotional withdrawal, she was an ideal partner.

After another wave of passion subsided, Shen Zhiqing lay naked on her, her erratic breathing calming under Tomb Cheng’s gentle soothing.

Tomb Cheng glanced at the time with clear eyes—9:30, just before Xu Yiyi’s bedtime.

“Doctor Shen,” she said, clearing her throat to sound less hoarse.

Shen Zhiqing’s heart tightened.

She rolled off and lay beside her.

The Alpha’s face looked sharp in the night.

She put on her glasses, wrapped Shen Zhiqing’s bare body in a blanket, and tied the used condom, tossing it into the trash with swift, clean motions, never glancing at her face.

Shen Zhiqing’s hands, tucked in the blanket, clenched against her chest to calm her uneasy heart.

The perceptive doctor sensed her emotional shift but, lacking skill in love, didn’t know how to address it.

She learned her feelings through precarious exploration, knowing no words could undo her past harshness.

Seeing her rise, Shen Zhiqing instinctively reached out from the blanket and grabbed her.

Tomb Cheng, still unclothed, stood amid scattered clothes on the floor.

Bread, the ragdoll cat, lay lazily in its bed, blue eyes half-closed.

During their earlier tumbling on the bed, Bread yowled incessantly, thinking its owner was hurt.

The cat scratched the pet house, leaving claw marks.

Tomb Cheng turned, puzzled. “?”

Her shoulder bore two clear bite marks, and vivid kiss marks on her chest showed the earlier intensity.

Shen Zhiqing pursed her lips, hesitating before saying, “I want to shower.”

The post-passion Omega clung to her.

Tomb Cheng nodded, picking up her clothes to dress.

“Okay, wait a moment? I’ll call Yiyi first,” she said.

She slipped on lounge pants, went to the cat cage, and lifted Bread out.

The cat hissed at her.

Tomb Cheng carefully placed it on the bed, where it broke free and nuzzled its owner. “Meow~”

Shen Zhiqing scratched its chin to soothe it.

The cat stepped on Tomb Cheng’s side of the bed, licking its owner.

Tomb Cheng raised her smartwatch, dialing her daughter.

“Mommy,” Xu Yiyi whispered, hiding under her blanket.

Tomb Cheng asked about her day.

The camp was in the city.

She visited her after work and promised an evening call.

Xu Yiyi stayed calm in unfamiliar settings because she trusted her mom to patiently answer her questions, like why she wasn’t there now, curled up in her blanket.

Tomb Cheng doted on her, answering in ways she needed.

“Hm… because I’m waiting for Yiyi to come home,” she said.

She heard Director Gu say Xu Yiyi often asked when her mom would take her home.

This time, she cast herself as the one waiting.

As expected, her coaxing lifted the girl’s spirits, and she obediently went to sleep.

Hearing soft breathing through the call, Tomb Cheng’s lips curved slightly.

Shen Zhiqing watched her gentle, measured bedtime routine.

Mu Mu treated a child unrelated by bl00d as her own.

What if it was her own child?

Would she love them even more?

Jealousy stirred unnoticed, blazing fiercely by the time she realized it.

Hanging up, Tomb Cheng approached.

Despite wrinkled clothes, messy shoulder-length hair, and dusty glasses, she remained composed in Shen Zhiqing’s eyes.

Shen Zhiqing clung to her, stepping on her toes as Tomb Cheng carried her to the bathroom.

Tomb Cheng showed no displeasure at her antics.

She dutifully filled the tub, bathed Shen Zhiqing, and carefully soaped everywhere except sensitive areas.

She placed Shen Zhiqing in the tub.

The post-passion Omega’s body felt softer than usual.

Her arms hooked around her, not letting go. “Where are you going?” she asked.

Tomb Cheng settled her into the warm water, where rose-scented soap bubbles formed.

She added two drops of calming oil, then loosened Shen Zhiqing’s arms from her neck.

“I’ll shower,” she said.

Tomb Cheng rinsed off the stickiness, tilting her head to enjoy the hot water.

Separated by frosted glass, mist obscured her view, but she felt a burning gaze on her.

In the military, jungle training made everything feel small.

They listened for wind speed, breathing in strict rhythms to detect danger instantly.

In this bathroom, unsynced breathing and a heated stare on her back and ears were impossible to ignore.

At least with Shen Zhiqing, she hadn’t learned indifference.

But she knew she should restrain herself.

She cleaned herself, wrapped a towel around her, and left.

When Shen Zhiqing emerged, the living room’s bed had fresh linens, and the room’s lingering pheromones had vanished.

Tomb Cheng was gone.

The house felt empty again, as when she lived alone.

Shen Zhiqing sniffed the air, searching for traces of her cool pheromone scent, but found nothing.

Before, she could make excuses to convince herself.

Now, with the Alpha’s departure, Shen Zhiqing clearly realized she was pulling away.

Why?

Everything seemed fine before.

Why did Tomb Cheng retreat into her shell again?

Shen Zhiqing’s questions lingered without answers until dawn.

Tomb Cheng didn’t return after leaving.