After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 34

Cheng Luanxin jolted awake, all traces of sleepiness instantly vanishing.

“Heat cycle? I guess it is about that time…” She quickly crawled out from under the covers and turned on the bedside lamp. Sure enough, Song Qiuchi’s face was flushed with two distinct patches of red.

“Where are the suppressants? Didn’t I give them all to you?”

“I didn’t bring them. They’re all in my hiking backpack.” Song Qiuchi had indeed been carrying them before, but she’d switched bags for the hike and forgotten to take them out afterward.

“You actually had an oversight like this? Then what do we do? Is there a hospital around here?”

To prevent drug abuse, the government strictly regulated suppressants—they could only be obtained at designated hospitals with proper identification, and ordinary pharmacies weren’t authorized to dispense them.

Obviously, there were no designated hospitals in the mountains.

“No. The nearest one is in the city, about an hour and a half by car.”

“Then why are we still standing here? Let’s hurry and go!” Cheng Luanxin started to get up to change, but her recently massaged back protested sharply with every movement, sending waves of pain through her.

Song Qiuchi didn’t want to go to the hospital. If they went back to the city, she’d have no reason to return here.

And then, tomorrow, Cheng Luanxin would go on that date with Du Zhiruo—something that made Song Qiuchi feel utterly defeated.

Of course, she wouldn’t voice this reason directly. Instead, with her face flushed, she whispered, “I… don’t want to go to the hospital like this. Someone might take pictures.”

Cheng Luanxin froze. That was true—most people prepared suppressants in advance, and few sought medical help at the last minute. Add to that Song Qiuchi’s status as a public figure—if she were photographed in this state, who knew what kind of rumors would spread?

“Then… what do we do?”

“There are two options.” Song Qiuchi paused. “First, you could bite and temporarily mark my scent gland, allowing our pheromones to bond. Second, we could… engage in intimate relations. Personally, I think the second option is less appropriate.”

Cheng Luanxin: “The first option isn’t appropriate either! How could I mark myself in broad daylight?!”

“Then… do you have any other ideas?”

Song Qiuchi lifted her face, her usually bright eyes now tinged with a hint of allure.

Cheng Luanxin’s heart inexplicably raced a few beats faster. She averted her gaze unnaturally, “Do you think we could borrow some from the masseuse? The lady who gives me massages seems to be an Omega…”

“The dosage varies by age group. How could we borrow any?”

Cheng Luanxin clutched her head in frustration, “Ugh, this is so annoying! How could you forget your meds? Do I really have to bite you?”

“Go ahead. If you don’t hurry, you might lose control too.” Song Qiuchi lowered her eyes, lifting the hair at the nape of her neck to reveal smooth, unblemished skin.

Her scent gland was slightly red and swollen, appearing alluring under the dim yellow light—tempting enough to make one want a taste.

Cheng Luanxin touched it hesitantly, still finding it hard to commit. Her face was now as flushed as Song Qiuchi’s, and she began deflecting, “Your masseuse isn’t very thorough, huh? Look at my neck—covered in bruises.”

Song Qiuchi: “Enough nonsense. Just bite already.”

Cheng Luanxin opened her mouth, leaning in only to pull back again, still awkward. “What brand of shower gel do you use? It smells nice.”

Song Qiuchi: “…Just bite.”

Cheng Luanxin fidgeted, “I’ve always thought temporary marking is so barbaric. You say ‘bite,’ but you have to break the skin too. What’s the difference between me and some bloodthirsty beast?”

Song Qiuchi snapped impatiently, “Bloodthirsty beasts don’t talk as much as you.”

Cheng Luanxin: “Fine, I’ll really bite now. Protect your carotid artery!”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

She obligingly covered her carotid artery and stretched her neck toward Cheng Luanxin.

The pale yellow strands of hair only flustered Cheng Luanxin further. She had to admit that after all this delay, her body was reacting too. Who knew what would happen if they waited any longer?

Well, it was just this once. Might as well grit her teeth and get it over with.

Steeling herself, she closed her eyes and bit down.

The skin over an Omega’s scent gland was fragile. With just a little pressure, Song Qiuchi’s gland began to bleed, and a faint metallic taste spread in Cheng Luanxin’s mouth.

She licked her lips awkwardly, “Done?”

Song Qiuchi frowned, assessing, “Harder.”

Reluctantly, Cheng Luanxin bit down again with more force.

Song Qiuchi’s voice was muffled, “Don’t just bite—you have to lick too. The pheromones won’t bond otherwise.”

Cheng Luanxin: “…”

Her face burned crimson, her voice barely a whisper, “Licking too? That’s so… indecent. Who came up with this rule?”

Song Qiuchi sighed, “How did you even pass your biology classes?”

With no other choice, Cheng Luanxin tentatively extended her tongue, carefully lapping at Song Qiuchi’s gland like a cautious cat.

Gradually, the swollen gland subsided, and the overpowering citrus-lemon scent in the room began to fade.

Unnoticed by either, both were now drenched in sweat.

With the danger averted, Cheng Luanxin exhaled in relief. She flopped back onto the bed, only to wince and jerk upright again, “Ow—”

Feeling somewhat responsible for the trouble, Song Qiuchi asked guiltily, “…Are you okay?”

Cheng Luanxin sighed, “Now I understand that old saying: ‘The ox may die from exhaustion, but the field never wears out.’ Thank goodness I’m not an Alpha.”

Song Qiuchi: “…I’m not suited to be an Omega either—too passive.”

Cheng Luanxin thought back with lingering fear: “You’re telling me! Luckily you were with me today. If you’d been with anyone else, my lifelong reputation would’ve been ruined!”

Song Qiuchi inwardly scoffed at the notion of Cheng Luanxin having any “lifelong reputation,” but with the fever just subsided, her body still felt weak. She coughed softly twice.

Cheng Luanxin jumped off the bed, barefoot, poured a glass of water at the table, and pushed it toward Song Qiuchi: “Have some water. You look so frail.”

Song Qiuchi took a sip, hesitating as if wanting to say more.

Cheng Luanxin: “Should we sleep then? Do you need gauze or something on the back of your neck?”

“No need for that.” After a pause, Song Qiuchi finally spoke up, “Cheng Luanxin, can I sleep with you tonight?”

Cheng Luanxin froze: “Huh? What do you mean, you want to sleep in my bed?”

Song Qiuchi lowered her eyes: “Still not feeling well. I want to hold onto something.”

After a moment, she added, “Don’t look at me like that. It’s a normal physiological response for Omegas like you.”

Cheng Luanxin wrestled with herself. It wasn’t like they’d never hugged or slept together before, but—

Holding each other while sleeping was different, wasn’t it?!

“Does it have to be me? Wouldn’t hugging a blanket work just as well?”

“Blankets don’t have warmth or scent.”

“So you don’t just want to hold me—you want to scent me too?!” Cheng Luanxin instinctively took a step back. “Song Qiuchi, your thoughts are dangerous!”

“Fine, forget it. I won’t force you.” Song Qiuchi had already guessed that Cheng Luanxin would make a fuss. She made as if to return to her own bed.

“Wait!” Sure enough, seeing Song Qiuchi’s slender back, Cheng Luanxin felt she couldn’t be so unkind. Blushing, she muttered, “You look so pitiful… If it’s just hugging from behind, I guess it’s fine…”

“I wasn’t planning to crawl into your arms anyway.”

Having reached an agreement, they lay back down. Cheng Luanxin curled up on the left side of the single bed, taking two deep breaths. “Go ahead.”

The next second, Song Qiuchi wrapped her arms around Cheng Luanxin from behind, hands resting on her waist. Through the thin sleepwear, Cheng Luanxin could feel the curves of Song Qiuchi’s body and the heat radiating from her.

Cheng Luanxin squirmed uncomfortably: “Keep your hands to yourself, and no climbing.”

Song Qiuchi: “…Relax, I sleep very still.”

As she spoke, she nuzzled lightly against Cheng Luanxin’s shoulder.

Cheng Luanxin shuddered, goosebumps rising all over. Too afraid to protest, she could only hug herself tightly.

Fortunately, exhaustion soon overtook them, and they fell asleep quickly.

In the middle of the night, Song Qiuchi woke up. By now, her fever had completely subsided, leaving her drenched in sweat and uncomfortably sticky.

Checking the clock, it was exactly 2 a.m. Beside her, Cheng Luanxin was sprawled out, dead to the world.

She got up, showered in the bathroom, then stood between the two beds, hesitating for a moment before returning to Cheng Luanxin’s bed.

The next morning.

Cheng Luanxin jolted awake from a nightmare. She’d spent the night dreaming she was a pitiful little Alpha, chased to the brink by a pack of aggressive Omegas.

Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was Song Qiuchi, whom she’d squeezed to the very edge of the bed, teetering on the verge of falling off.

She lifted Song Qiuchi’s hair to carefully check the condition of her scent gland.

…Two neat rows of teeth marks, still faintly red.

Cheng Luanxin could hardly bear to look. She sighed and turned her head to the side, only to find Song Qiuchi staring intently at her.

Cheng Luanxin jolted. “When did you wake up?”

“Just now, when you touched my hair,” Song Qiuchi sat up as well. “So, is the mark obvious?”

“Pretty brutal… You shouldn’t wear double braids today, or a high ponytail either. Go for something gentler, like loose shoulder-length hair. It’ll help cover it up a bit.”

Song Qiuchi blinked. “Are you sure you want to make it so obvious?”

Cheng Luanxin was genuinely exasperated. “Sis, just cover it. If you don’t, we’re done for.”

Fortunately, Song Qiuchi didn’t press further. “Fine, I’ll listen to you.”