After Teasing the Villain and Running Away - Chapter 21.1

Jiang Ruosheng gazed into those eyes brimming with suppressed anger and tormented by desire, her heart pounding violently.

Digging her nails into her palms until they turned red, Jiang Ruosheng forced a cold expression and slightly lifted the woman’s sweat-dampened chin. “Ruan Xin, is this your tactic? Trying to seduce me?”

Her words were icy, her gaze sharp with disdain and mockery, like tangible arrows aimed at piercing through Ruan Xin’s carefully constructed facade. She tossed the cigarette she had been holding onto the floor in front of Ruan Xin, her arrogant eyes betraying complete disinterest in everything.

Ruan Xin’s heart sank. Her lips, already bitten raw, bled anew. Those perpetually aloof and distant eyes flickered before landing on the crumpled cigarette. For the first time, she lowered her head, trembling as she picked it up.

Yellow shreds of tobacco spilled from the crushed end, intensifying the scent. She didn’t smoke—she was simply addicted to this smell. When lit, it released a searing, roasted aroma, one that closely resembled Jiang Ruosheng’s natural pheromones.

But if left burning, the smoke would turn acrid and pungent, a far cry from the original scent.

Ruan Xin never quite mastered the balance between the two. She always lit only half, extinguishing it before it could turn foul.

The throbbing pain in her glands stemmed from her desperate longing for the alpha before her. Yet, even now, with them so close, the distance between them felt like an impassable ocean, forever out of reach.

Her fingers trembled, her eyes glazed with unshed tears. She looked utterly disheveled and broken, her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window revealing a fragile figure on the verge of shattering, like a glass doll.

But this pain was nothing new. Compared to the torment of her memories, these symptoms were trivial.

An omega in the throes of severe dependency needed regular comfort from their alpha’s pheromones. Without it, the absence bred overwhelming instability—sometimes spiraling into depression or self-destructive tendencies.

Without Jiang Ruosheng, she had no access to her alpha’s solace. Inhibitors failed, and deprived of cigarettes, she relied solely on sedative drips to numb the pain and calm her nerves.

During those months locked away in a hospital room, losing her mind, Ruan Xin thought of Jiang Ruosheng every day. The name floated in her mind, but she lacked even the strength to utter it aloud. They had gone too far—perhaps beyond repair.

Yet, when the pain became unbearable, pushing her to the brink of unconsciousness, resentment and hatred surged. Why had Jiang Ruosheng abandoned her so effortlessly? She suffered in agony and weakness, all while Jiang Ruosheng remained oblivious.

For seven years, she oscillated between love and hate, until darker, more insidious thoughts took hold. Why should Jiang Ruosheng walk away unscathed? She deserved to be entangled with her for life.

Whether as a ruthless, profit-driven woman or a villain who stopped at nothing—why should Jiang Ruosheng emerge untouched?

Alone, wandering in the dark, she had been abruptly scorched by a blinding light. The searing pain left behind was worse than the cold solitude of the shadows. The wounds scarred but never healed, the marks forever etched into her heart.

Staring at her reflection in the glass, Ruan Xin slumped wearily against the bedframe. Her slender arm draped over her nose, muffling the quiet sobs that echoed starkly in the silent room.

Jiang Ruosheng stood frozen in place, torn between staying and leaving. She could roughly guess that Ruan Xin’s physical condition was extremely poor. Whether it was the alpha’s possessive instincts at play or not, the urge to not abandon her omega in distress tugged at her nerves.

Detected a rise in the antagonist’s darkening index. Host, please pacify the antagonist promptly.

Hearing this voice, Jiang Ruosheng’s headache intensified. “Can you detect her current physical condition?”

The system’s mechanical tone remained flat. “Hormonal imbalance, unnatural feverish tremors, and various signs of insecurity suggest the omega is in a dependency phase, urgently requiring alpha pheromones for comfort.”

Jiang Ruosheng: “What if I refuse to mark her? Will she be in any danger?”

System: “There’s no life-threatening risk, but she may fall into a pseudo-heat, leading to unconsciousness or shock due to high fever.”

Jiang Ruosheng’s eyes filled with concern. “You call that fine?!”

The woman’s emotions seemed to spiral out of control. Her slender legs knelt on the carpet, revealing pale, delicate knees. The position exposed large swathes of snow-white skin on her chest, the slight rise of her curves appearing particularly alluring.

Jiang Ruosheng’s pupils contracted as she saw crystalline tears tracing down jade-like arms. The hand clutching a cigarette finally went limp, dropping to the floor. “…Just leave. If you’re only here to watch me make a fool of myself, then get out.”

Jiang Ruosheng: “A temporary mark should suffice, right? We’re not in that kind of relationship. Taking advantage of someone like this…”

System: “A temporary mark likely won’t work. Her dependency phase is too severe. According to scans, her condition was triggered by your pheromones.”

Jiang Ruosheng froze before retorting, “That’s ridiculous. At the banquet, I only released pheromones briefly. Even if Ruan Xin caught a whiff, her reaction shouldn’t be this intense.”

System: “Seven years ago that night, you fully marked Ruan Xin and were also induced into a secondary differentiation, becoming a top-tier alpha. A top alpha’s mark is hard to erase unless she had it medically removed.”

Jiang Ruosheng was stunned. “So she never had the mark removed?”

A full alpha mark on an omega signified an extremely intimate bond. For a long time afterward, the omega would only respond to that alpha’s pheromones while rejecting others.

To eliminate this effect, a mark-removal surgery was required. Older methods caused irreversible damage to the omega’s body, but modern medical advancements had made the procedure simple and harmless.

She had assumed Ruan Xin would choose to erase the mark.

Wordlessly, Jiang Ruosheng crouched beside Ruan Xin and handed her the glass of warm water. “Just… drink some water first…”

She couldn’t articulate her current emotions—anger, intensity, confusion, pity… a tangled mess of sensations.

Ruan Xin lifted her tear-streaked face, the damp trails still visible on her cheeks. As she moved, Jiang Ruosheng’s gaze inadvertently drifted to her neck, where a translucent inhibitor patch concealed the omega’s runaway pheromones.

Jiang Ruosheng didn’t dare look too long. Her dry throat moved as she quickly averted her gaze, her usually aloof eyes now carrying a hint of worldly desire.

Xin Ruan glanced at her, then pressed her full lips directly to the water glass, taking small sips from Jiang Ruosheng’s hand. Her slightly sweaty arm draped over Jiang Ruosheng’s stiffened body as she pulled her closer. “It’s not too late to leave now. Do you want to save me?”

The scent-blocking patch was torn away, releasing the long-suppressed pheromones that surged forth like a parched soul rushing toward an oasis. The faintly strong tobacco scent dispersed like mist, yet carried an unexpected gentleness and warmth, cradling the sensation of falling as if wrapped in a cozy sleeping bag beside a crackling fire.

The long-lost feeling enveloped them both in this intoxicating haze, making them forget everything else.

Love and resentment were unleashed to their fullest, and the emotions buried beneath layers of ice and pretense—never spoken aloud—now flowed freely between them.

The flickering lamplight in the room cast shadows over the scattered pills on the carpet, now rendered useless.

As the night deepened, a new dawn approached.

Held tightly like a human body pillow, Jiang Ruosheng lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her mind racing.

Things had escalated to this point—something she had never anticipated.

The lingering scent of their intertwined pheromones still hung in the air, making Jiang Ruosheng so frustrated she almost wanted to light a cigarette.

Optimistically speaking, their relationship had simply shifted from professional to… something more casual.

She turned to look at the woman sleeping soundly in her arms. The mating gland on the back of her neck was bitten beyond recognition, but the deep mark still stirred something primal in Jiang Ruosheng’s alpha instincts—

This omega belonged to her.

She scratched her head, suddenly feeling like an irresponsible scoundrel.

After such intimacy, she could just walk away so easily.

Jiang Ruosheng stared blankly until she noticed Xin Ruan’s eyelashes flutter. Then she turned away and sat up.

Xin Ruan stretched lazily—this was probably the most restful sleep she’d had in years. No nightmares, no waking up drenched in cold sweat.

“I’m heading to the office. You’re still not in great shape, so it’s best you rest today.” Jiang Ruosheng walked to the closet, picked out a shirt that fit, and pulled it on.

The slightly loose garment on Xin Ruan clung snugly to Jiang Ruosheng’s frame, revealing a glimpse of her toned waist whenever she moved.

Xin Ruan, still drowsy, gave her a glance before burrowing back under the covers.

Liu Yue noticed something unusual—the CEO was late this morning.

For most bosses, being late might be trivial, hardly worth noting. But for someone like Jiang Ruosheng, who practically lived at the office 24/7, it was anything but ordinary.

Next to the CEO’s office was a small but fully equipped lounge—complete with a bed, sofa, and bathroom.

The closet always held fresh clothes, and Jiang Ruosheng often slept there after working late into the night. In fact, she spent more nights there than at home.

Her schedule was unshakable, her work ethic machine-like—handling tasks, delegating precisely, never making mistakes.

Having worked at the company for five years, she had always seen President Jiang living like this—nothing but work, work, and more work. Only on the rare occasions when she traveled abroad to visit family could one catch a glimpse of human warmth from this unattainable flower.

“And—that shirt President Jiang is wearing today, I’ve never seen it before,” Liu Yue gossiped with the other assistants. “It’s weird. Really weird.”

The woman sitting in the chief assistant’s seat adjusted her glasses. “She’s in a relationship, that’s all. What’s so weird about that?”

“President Jiang would actually date someone? I thought she was married to her job for life,” someone questioned, clearly out of the loop.

Chief Assistant Lin waved her phone. “There’s news reporting that Jiang Ruosheng of the Jiang Group just got engaged to Ruan Xin, the illegitimate daughter of the Xin family who recently returned from abroad.”

Liu Yue froze, then walked over to take a look. “Really? There’s not even a single photo.”

Chief Assistant Lin: “They left the banquet holding hands. Rumor has it they’re in the honeymoon phase.”

Considering everything that had happened this morning, the story gained credibility. For some reason, Liu Yue suddenly thought of the woman who had brought the Qingweizhai lunchbox that day. If she found out about this, wouldn’t she be heartbroken?

The others marveled at the news—flowers blooming from stone cracks, millennia-old ice melting into water overnight.

Meanwhile, the subject of their gossip sneezed in the lounge as she changed out of her shirt and pants. The discarded clothes still carried her body warmth and the faint, distinctive scent of an omega.

Jiang Ruosheng rubbed her fingertips together before fishing a handkerchief from her pocket.

Wrapped inside the soft, white fabric were several white pills. She carefully transferred them into a plastic bag, then made a call.

On the other end was a doctor Jiang Ruosheng knew well—someone who worked at the Alpha-Omega Medical Center and was highly familiar with dependency and heat cycles.

That night, Ruan Xin hadn’t been particularly discreet when retrieving the medication, but some of the labels on the bottles had been torn off, leaving only blank white surfaces with no indication of their contents.

The rest were likely newly acquired and hadn’t been tampered with yet. Jiang Ruosheng recalled a few names and relayed them.

“Those are indeed neurosedatives specifically for omegas. They’re usually taken during dependency cycles when an omega requires immediate alpha pheromone relief to prevent emotional instability.”

“But there’s something else strange…” Jiang Ruosheng tightened her grip on the phone, an inexplicable feeling nagging at her. Ruan Xin’s abnormal physical reactions—aside from the unwashed mark—surely meant she was hiding something else.

“From what you’ve described, it does seem like an excessive reaction…”

Jiang Ruosheng glanced at the plastic bag in her hand. “I’ll have someone deliver some of the medication she’s been taking to you later. Look into it as soon as possible.”

Back at her desk in her own clothes, Jiang Ruosheng finally pushed aside the tangled thoughts in her mind. As a competent CEO with endless responsibilities, she couldn’t afford to neglect her work over personal matters.

She buried herself in paperwork, only to be interrupted by the heavy clack of high heels outside her door, accompanied by a faint jingling sound.

Jiang Ruosheng pinched the bridge of her nose and looked up as the woman pushed the door open. “I believe I’ve told you before—keep that bizarre getup out of the office during work hours.”

The woman leaned against the doorframe, clad in eye-catching purple laser-fabric attire, her high leather boots adorned with a dozen metal rings that jingled loudly with every step. Her sleek short hair framed her face, while exaggerated necklaces and earrings drew all attention.

Beneath the heavy layers of smoky makeup, her age was impossible to discern.

Hands tucked into her pockets, she raised an eyebrow and gave Jiang Ruosheng a playful wink. “Just got back from France, and you don’t even miss me?”

This was Jiang Ruosheng’s business partner, Guan Qian—her college roommate and the one who had helped her rebuild the Jiang Corporation after graduation. Their friendship spanned nearly eight years now.

Jiang Ruosheng scoffed. “If you’ve got nothing better to do, stay at the company and manage things for me. Getting addicted to playing the hands-off boss, are you?”

Guan Qian shivered dramatically, rubbing her arms as if chilled by Jiang Ruosheng’s icy tone. “You and Qiao Nan are more than enough for the company. I don’t want to end up as overworked as you two.”

Her expression then darkened. “But seriously, Jiang Ruosheng, how boring can you be? Getting engaged without even telling me—what kind of friend does that? And to Ruan Xin, of all people!” She stomped her foot in frustration. “I can’t even look at this. Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on her.”

Jiang Ruosheng had expected someone to confront her about this eventually, but she hadn’t anticipated Guan Qian being the first.

Before Jiang Ruosheng could explain, Guan Qian began pacing the office, her tone dripping with exasperation. “Have you forgotten why Ruan Xin deliberately got close to you in the first place? To gain your trust, steal information, pin all the Xin family’s crimes on the Jiangs, and use that as her ticket back into the Xin family!”

“Every step was calculated. You—how could you—?”

The Jiang family’s bankruptcy had been caused by their involvement in a massive financial fraud scheme—exploiting shell accounts to embezzle government subsidies, acquiring land in development zones only to abandon construction, then filing false insurance claims for massive payouts.

The scandal had implicated numerous powerful families, with the Xin family as the masterminds. At the time, the Jiangs, facing a cash flow crisis, had sought the Xins’ help and joined the project. They weren’t innocent—they had broken the law—but the appropriate penalty should have been repaying the losses and hefty fines, given their minor role and cooperative attitude.

Then, everything took a sharp turn. All evidence suddenly pointed to the Jiangs as the primary culprits, burdening them with crippling fines and bankruptcy, while the Xins emerged unscathed.

Ruan Xin had orchestrated it all.

Jiang Ruosheng had been trapped in an elaborate con.

Guan Qian had witnessed Jiang Ruosheng and Ruan Xin’s relationship from its sweet beginnings to its bitter, ugly end. What had once been the envy of everyone around them had collapsed into something unbearable.

“Now she’s back in the country, smug as ever, and she’s latched onto you again—probably trying to use you to secure her position as heir.” Guan Qian sneered. “She’s ruthless, squeezing every last drop from the same victim.”

She slammed her palm on the desk with a deafening thud, glaring at Jiang Ruosheng. “I rushed back overnight because I was afraid you’d lose your mind again. Don’t I deserve some gratitude?”

Jiang Ruosheng turned her head away. “I won’t be that stupid again… It’s just business.”

“What kind of cooperation?!” Guan Qian leaned in suspiciously, sniffing the air intently as if searching for clues. “Did you two… sleep together last night?”

“Cough, cough—” Jiang Ruosheng nearly choked on her own saliva, her usually cold face flushing with rare embarrassment. “Your topic jumps are way too abrupt.”

“It really is just cooperation. I haven’t forgotten the grudge against the Xin family. What happened back then wasn’t something Ruan Xin could have accomplished alone.” Jiang Ruosheng’s lashes fluttered slightly, her aloof eyes revealing an inscrutable depth, like mist-shrouded waters impossible to decipher.

“The Xin family is currently embroiled in internal strife. Xin Ran probably doesn’t have the capacity to deal with me right now—this is the perfect opportunity for Jiang Corporation’s expansion. And I’d be more than happy to watch them tear each other apart. A severely weakened Xin family would save me considerable effort.”

Guan Qian fell silent. Though she could guess Jiang Ruosheng’s intentions, hearing the words spoken aloud still left her momentarily dazed. Time changes too many things—the warm-hearted, gentle soul from years past had now become someone capable of such calculated schemes.

Jiang Ruosheng hadn’t been fooled back then because she lacked intelligence. Shortly after the Jiang family’s downfall, she’d pieced together the broad strokes of what happened and Ruan Xin’s role in it all. She’d been deceived solely because of trust and affection.

Having weathered tremendous upheaval yet remaining resolute, climbing her way step by step to where she stood now—every move Jiang Ruosheng made was meticulously planned. With her razor-sharp mind, had she perhaps foreseen this very scenario of two tigers locked in combat?

“They’re both from the Xin family. What if instead of mutual destruction, they join forces against you?” Guan Qian still hoped to dissuade Jiang Ruosheng from getting involved. “Wouldn’t it be better to stay in your lane? Revenge doesn’t have to be immediate.”

Jiang Ruosheng spread her hands. “Too late—I’m already caught in the crossfire. Waiting to reap the rewards isn’t that simple. All I can promise is that I’ll absolutely win.”

“Win, win, win,” Guan Qian sniffed the air again. “Everyone in the game thinks they’ll win. If Ruan Xin strips you bare and cleans you out, don’t expect anything from me besides laughter.”

After seeing Guan Qian off, Jiang Ruosheng finally felt some peace return to her surroundings.

After a busy day, staring at the monotonous nightscape outside her window, Jiang Ruosheng found herself zoning out. Neon lights flickered to life one after another, leaving an inexplicable hollowness in her chest.

Maybe… she should visit “Lemon End.”

Her sleek, eye-catching motorcycle stood out even in the underground garage. The sensation of racing against the wind, body pressed against the machine, always offered temporary escape from reality’s burdens.

It was one of her few hobbies—having stumbled into a riding club during university, she’d grown fond of the feeling.

But the moment she stepped into the bar, a figure at the counter caught her attention.

Ruan Xin rested her chin on one hand, gazing absently at the glass before her. Her cool, detached expression seemed caught in some profound vortex. The pulsing background music and bursts of cheers from the dance floor failed to elicit even the slightest reaction. Her aura stood starkly apart from the surrounding clamor, serene as an oil painting—pale in hue, indifferent in mood.

Her slightly shadowed features seemed submerged in water, the occasional passing light barely penetrating the barrier, offering only fragmented glimpses of her mysterious allure.

This version of her was closer to the somewhat reclusive Ruan Xin from high school. The fleeting memories were squeezed into a narrow corner, fading in color. As a transmigrator, Jiang Ruosheng seemed to have never encountered a Ruan Xin whose darkening index was below 50%.

Despite her relentless efforts when she first transmigrated, the original plot remained “beautifully” unchanged. Apart from minor alterations in details, the major direction remained unshakable.