After the Divorce, My Ex-Wife Suddenly Became an Alpha - Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Softwood
Even after leaving the meeting room for quite a while, Gu Jin Xiao’s face was still a little flushed.
The detector didn’t pick up any listening devices. After a brief discussion, they decided to split up. Gu Jin Xiao would continue discussing the project’s progress with the Wusi team, while Chi Yue Jing, under the pretense of “touring the premises,” would secretly inspect the rest of the office areas.
The results were mixed. No bugs or tracking devices were found in places where Gu Jin Xiao often appeared. Upon hearing this conclusion, Gu Jin Xiao was slightly dazed, and her expression grew grave.
If the other party had planted listening devices to spy on her, then everyone in the company would be a suspect. But now that none were found, the most likely possibility was—
Someone from the Wusi project team had leaked the information.
The Wusi Project was a key initiative under Gu Jin Xiao’s sub-company, Cross Star. To convince the group’s other shareholders of its investment value, she personally led the team stationed on the resource planet for over half a year. The core team members were all handpicked and nurtured by her. If the leak really came from within…
Then it meant—
The people she trusted might have betrayed her.
“Jin Xiao, let go.”
Delicate fingers covered the back of her hand, and Chi Yue Jing’s clear voice sounded beside her. She was steering the car with one hand and using the other to gently pat Gu Jin Xiao’s clenched fist, preventing her from hurting herself.
Gu Jin Xiao snapped back to reality and realized she had been thinking so intently that she hadn’t even noticed her nails digging into her palm. Her skin was tender, and her pale palm was now lined with crescent-shaped red marks—alarming to see.
Chi Yue Jing clearly noticed the injury too. Her brows furrowed slightly. She glanced at the traffic, then pulled over at a commercial district ahead.
“Let me see.”
Gu Jin Xiao looked up when she heard this and instinctively pulled her hand back. “It’s nothing…”
It was just a minor scratch—barely worth mentioning for an Alpha. No need to make a big deal out of it.
But Chi Yue Jing didn’t repeat herself. Instead, she simply unbuckled her seatbelt and took Gu Jin Xiao’s hand, drawing her injured palm close to inspect it carefully.
“I said it’s fine…”
The warmth from their joined hands made her more uneasy than the actual injury. Gu Jin Xiao couldn’t break free, so she protested, “Let go of me.”
“Gu Jin Xiao.”
Chi Yue Jing suddenly spoke in a lowered voice, laced with coldness. Her previously gentle tone turned sharp. She lifted her gaze, and those elegant peach blossom eyes gleamed with intensity—like ice forming on a crystal surface, sending chills down one’s spine.
Startled by her sudden change in demeanor, Gu Jin Xiao only now realized this was probably the real Chi Yue Jing. With the Alpha’s surging spiritual pressure unleashed, a cold white iris scent quietly filled the car, causing every hair on her body to stand on end. She bit her lip and muttered softly:
“…Why are you being so fierce?”
That soft, kittenish tone instantly melted the ice on Chi Yue Jing’s face. Realizing her overreaction, she gently closed her eyes, pressing her boiling emotions back down into her chest.
“Sorry, I got too worked up.”
She exhaled slowly, adjusting her expression and explaining calmly, “It’s a side effect of my information pheromone disorder. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She had definitely frightened her. As a top-tier Alpha, Chi Yue Jing usually had astonishing self-control and would never lose it this easily. The “side effect” was simply the most presentable excuse she could come up with.
What frustrated her most was how she always forgot—
That even under the label of “marriage,” this person wasn’t truly hers.
Regret filled her like wild grass, and now that she had pushed Gu Jin Xiao away again, it only gave her more reason to avoid her. Chi Yue Jing dejectedly let go of her hand and sat upright again, forcing herself to maintain her composure.
The air inside the car fell silent. Neither of them spoke, but neither made a move to leave either.
Just as Chi Yue Jing regained her calm and tried to think of something to break the awkwardness, a hand suddenly reached over and was quietly placed in front of her.
“Actually… it does sting a bit now,” Gu Jin Xiao said as she opened her injured hand, her long lashes lowered slightly to hide the complicated light in her eyes. “Why don’t you check again?”
The cuff of her shirt was rolled up to her elbow, exposing a section of pale, tender arm like a freshly peeled lotus root. The softness beneath Chi Yue Jing’s fingertips made her feel as if even a little force could break it.
Chi Yue Jing lowered her head to concentrate on the wound. In the bright light, that fair hand nestled obediently in hers—more slender than most Alphas’, with delicate joints and pink fingertips—looked like a piece of artwork.
Only the scratch marks on her palm ruined the perfection. Chi Yue Jing gently touched one, and Gu Jin Xiao let out a faint whimper—soft as a kitten’s mewl.
“This one broke the skin. I’ll apply some ointment.”
Frowning slightly, she opened the glove compartment and found a mini first-aid kit, taking out iodine and a few cotton swabs.
Gu Jin Xiao quietly watched her.
Though she wasn’t the type of Alpha known for brute strength, she definitely wasn’t delicate either. Back on the mining planet, due to harsh weather and conditions, getting injured was common. This kind of wound really wasn’t a big deal.
But seeing Chi Yue Jing treating it like a sacred task, carefully applying ointment as if she were handling something precious, her heart started to beat out of rhythm. The cooling sensation of the iodine felt like melting snow on her skin.
And then a strange thought crossed her mind. Her lips parted, and she let out a small sound of pain again.
“Hiss…”
That sound seemed to flip a switch.
Chi Yue Jing immediately paused, flustered. “Did I hurt you?”
She held Gu Jin Xiao’s hand gently, at a loss. Before Gu Jin Xiao could respond, Chi Yue Jing leaned down and did something completely unexpected.
She blew softly on the wound.
Warm breath skimmed her palm like a feather, sending tingling shivers through her nerves. Gu Jin Xiao froze, stunned by the action. Her heart skipped several beats—it nearly leapt out of her chest.
This… might’ve been a bit too much “comfort.”
She could even feel Chi Yue Jing’s lips—so soft and slightly cool—brushing against her skin. Her upper lip was a bit thin, making the little lower lip look particularly plump. With her usual aloof expression, that contrast made one really want to kiss her…
God, I’ve lost it!
As if reading her mind, Chi Yue Jing suddenly looked up. Caught off guard, Gu Jin Xiao didn’t have time to avert her gaze, and their eyes locked. Those long, peach blossom eyes looked like ink washed in water—clear yet filled with hidden depths. She couldn’t move. Her lips parted to say something but no words came out.
Then a hand gently cupped her cheek.
A tender touch, like caressing a treasure, slowly stroked along her jaw. The warm palm brushing her skin made her want to fall asleep, enveloped in a calming scent—not strong but lingering, slowly wrapping around her nerves, pulling her into another’s spiritual domain.
Could pheromone disorder really cause this kind of attraction for Alphas too?
Her thoughts surged like crashing waves, battering her fraying nerves. Gu Jin Xiao stared dazedly at Chi Yue Jing’s movement. Her instincts screamed for her to escape—but she couldn’t muster an ounce of strength.
That beautiful, plush lip was only inches away from hers…
“Beep beep beep—”
Just as the tension reached a breaking point, the center console’s communicator suddenly rang, shattering the moment. Chi Yue Jing was the first to react. She glanced at the screen, visibly annoyed.
It was a call she had no choice but to take.
The atmosphere inside the car returned to stillness. Gu Jin Xiao cracked the window, letting the wind cool her overheated brain. She stared at the roadside greenery, unintentionally listening to Chi Yue Jing’s voice beside her.
It sounded like someone from the military. Her conversation was brief, and her posture instinctively straightened. One hand held the communicator, while the other absentmindedly tapped the edge of the console.
Unlike her own, Chi Yue Jing’s hands were long but bore calluses from years of firearm training. Her nails were rounded and clean, without polish, smooth and natural.
The thought of that hand touching her skin sent a jolt through her chest. Gu Jin Xiao nearly choked on her imagination, abruptly turning away to shake off the nonsense in her head.
Then she heard Chi Yue Jing let out a soft laugh and say, “We’ll be going.”
That “we” most likely included her. After hanging up, Chi Yue Jing explained:
“That was my superior at the surveillance division. Next week is the Capital Star’s military department retreat—three days and two nights of island camping competitions. They’ve asked me to attend.”
Knowing what Gu Jin Xiao would worry about, she added, “I specifically checked. You can bring a spouse, so I’ve already signed you up.”
Gu Jin Xiao was first stunned by the contents of the event—
Then stunned again when she realized she’d be going too.
Three days? Island camping?
And with her??