After the Top Idol Omega and I Started Living Together - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Originally, Chenchen hesitated about how to bring up the matter with Sheng Jingyu. Upon hearing Sheng Jingyu’s words, Chenchen immediately responded, “I need it!”

“Here’s the thing. I want to take a set of photos for Ah Zhao, like the sky clearing after rain. I need to create a rainy atmosphere. But adjusting the water droplets on Ah Zhao’s body while tweaking the camera lens is a bit tough for me.”

Chenchen first explained her plan to Sheng Jingyu, then stated her request, “So, if Miss Sheng is willing, could you follow my idea and help sprinkle some water on Ah Zhao’s body?”

Lu Zhao only just heard Chenchen’s design and couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows.

Light fabric, once wet, would surely become soaked. She, an Alpha, and Sheng Jingyu, an Omega, had only met two days ago. They weren’t close enough to do something like this, were they?

Sunlight slanted through the window behind the staircase. Lu Zhao’s gaze shifted to Sheng Jingyu, standing not far away.

The bar’s dimness didn’t reveal much, but their first meeting yesterday left Lu Zhao with the impression of a faint aloofness surrounding Sheng Jingyu.

She used polite courtesy to build a barrier around herself.

She wouldn’t approach anyone proactively, nor would she let anyone approach her.

Thinking this, Lu Zhao felt that even if she didn’t oppose Chenchen’s suggestion, Sheng Jingyu would surely refuse.

But Lu Zhao miscalculated.

“Alright,” Sheng Jingyu nodded, her gesture casual. “It’s a small effort.”

“…?!”

Lu Zhao’s confident expression collapsed instantly.

She was utterly shocked by Sheng Jingyu’s agreement. Before she could ask further, Chenchen, with her monstrous strength, grabbed Lu Zhao’s arm and dragged her outside, saying, “Since Miss Sheng has agreed, let’s hurry. Sunlight waits for no one. We need to seize every second!”

Lush green leaves crowded together noisily. Water droplets fell, splashing in arcs.

The lawn’s sprinkler, under Chenchen’s practiced control, created a light rain. Though the sky blazed with sunlight, the backyard already felt like the aftermath of a shower.

A breeze brushed Lu Zhao’s forearm, bringing a slight chill.

A spark of inspiration hit Lu Zhao. She lifted her skirt with one hand and leaned toward the sprinkler, letting water droplets fall on her.

Since Chenchen invited Sheng Jingyu to help and she agreed, Lu Zhao couldn’t rudely undermine her.

But if she prepared herself in advance, Sheng Jingyu wouldn’t need to help later. That was a different matter.

I’m such a clever ghost.

Lu Zhao smiled, unsparing of her skirt, and flicked it casually on the wet lawn.

Proud of her cleverness, she looked at Chenchen, who was adjusting camera settings, her thoughts written on her face, “Chenchen, is this okay?”

Chenchen looked up, startled, and saw water droplets clinging to Lu Zhao through the lens.

Glistening droplets hung on her arms and shoulders, refracting her porcelain-white skin under the sunlight, utterly captivating.

“It’s fine…” Chenchen nodded, then paused, “Wait, it’s missing a little something.”

Always striving for perfection, Chenchen turned to the idle Sheng Jingyu and politely requested, “Miss Sheng, could you go over and sprinkle some water on the hair by Ah Zhao’s face? It looks a bit sparse there.”

Sheng Jingyu didn’t look at Chenchen but glanced faintly at Lu Zhao.

Holding a prepared bowl of water, she stepped forward, a trace of knowing amusement flickering in her eyes.

A single oversight in a perfect plan.

A cool breeze rustled the leaves. In the midst of speaking, Sheng Jingyu reached Lu Zhao’s side.

She held a delicate blue porcelain bowl, its surface rippling with waves.

Time slowed.

With Chenchen’s prompt, Sheng Jingyu’s approach became frame-by-frame slow motion.

Lu Zhao’s amber eyes widened, unsure whether sunlight illuminated Sheng Jingyu’s face or her face made the sunlight seem brighter. Her refined features withstood the lens’s scrutiny, no matter how magnified.

Lu Zhao held her breath, afraid her exhale might disturb this moment’s beauty.

Finally, the slow approach reached its end.

Sunlight brought another figure beside the solitary one. Sheng Jingyu stood tall, holding the water, her straight form like a sculpture carved by light.

Her silver-gray eyes, calm and earnest, followed Chenchen’s instructions, dipping a small piece into the water.

No one noticed that as Sheng Jingyu’s fingers brushed the water’s surface, droplets clung to them.

The summer’s stifling heat was momentarily subdued by the splashed water. The camellia-enclosed area filled with coolness.

But Lu Zhao’s body felt warm.

The droplets, carried by Sheng Jingyu’s fingers, fell downward, like ice dropping into fire, instantly raising a layer of white mist.

In that mist, the scent of lychee, wrapped in sea breeze, rose and fell.

The wind came at the wrong time, carrying those scents straight into Sheng Jingyu’s nose.

Her long hair swayed. Being so close, the heat stirred the scents into restless chaos.

Morning light, intangible, resembled the sea breeze.

The summer’s restless heat, like fermenting lychee, exuded an intoxicating alcohol.

Sunlight poured through the flowers. Everything seemed the same as yesterday, yet entirely different.

Sheng Jingyu’s gaze fixed, unsure whether this person’s Alpha aura was too intense or, as Cheng Xin said, her years without contact with any Alpha made her overly sensitive to Lu Zhao’s scent.

The sea breeze pushed coolness through. Sheng Jingyu didn’t pause her actions.

The water dissolved the scent, spreading with the wind. She was like someone self-immolating, endlessly adding fuel to her fire.

Sheng Jingyu calmly knew this was wrong.

But her reason wrestled with itself.

“Plop.”

When the third droplet landed on her nose, Lu Zhao finally sensed something indescribably off.

She felt her hair was wet enough, as it should be.

So why hadn’t Sheng Jingyu left?

White camellias swayed in the breeze. Lu Zhao’s gaze met Sheng Jingyu’s eyes.

Their eyes locked, both bewildered and at a loss.

The sun, like a mirror reflecting everything, cast unfiltered light across the earth.

The quiet camellia grove, illuminated by this light, shimmered with transgressive ambiguity.

A breeze passed, and a few camellias, unable to bear the droplets’ weight, fell abruptly, their white petals landing in Sheng Jingyu’s hair.

Her silver-gray eyes lifted slightly, like the camellia, known as the beheading flower, cloaked in fragile coldness, lost for someone unknown.

Who could it be?

Lu Zhao narrowed her eyes, feeling she might understand something, only to be interrupted by Chenchen’s voice.

“Good, hold that pose, Ah Zhao!”

Chenchen was very satisfied with Lu Zhao’s current state.

Unbeknownst to others, she secretly snapped a shot of Lu Zhao and Sheng Jingyu’s interaction.

Originally, she took the photo to test adjusted settings, but it turned out unexpectedly stunning.

The mist cast a secluded coolness around the mountain flowers. They stood in that world, adorned with matching white camellia petals, breathtakingly beautiful.

But why did two strangers, known for less than two days, seem so perfectly matched?

.

The sun climbed high. Footsteps finally echoed in the quiet mansion.

Cicadas chirped urgently, but they couldn’t disrupt Lu Zhao’s lazy steps as she descended the stairs.

These days, Lu Zhao had no work. Her schedule only noted a recording session for the group’s final album song in two days.

Having slept poorly yesterday, she retaliated by sleeping until late morning today, rising near noon.

The house was silent. Sheng Jingyu seemed to have left early for something. Her slippers sat neatly at the entrance.

Though only the second day of co-renting, Lu Zhao missed the freedom of living alone a few days ago. Taking advantage of the moment, she stretched unabashedly.

“Gurgle~”

The stretch triggered a protest from her empty stomach.

She glanced at the kitchen’s contents and decided to cook a lavish instant noodle pot for her rare free time.

Boiling water steamed up. Lu Zhao skillfully grabbed low-calorie seafood from the fridge and tossed it in.

Finding the wait for it to cook boring, her phone lit up right on cue.

Chenchen sent her a few freshly edited photos.

Under dim light, the camellias’ whiteness stood out. She, in a white dress, lay in a sea of flowers, her amber eyes half-open, like a devotee willingly sacrificed to the flower god.

The copper pot lid reflected the person above. Lu Zhao held her phone, her lips curling uncontrollably.

She always flaunted her beauty and unapologetically acknowledged it: [Great shots! This month, you get extra chicken legs! Bonus!!]

[Long live Ah Zhao!!] Chenchen replied instantly, thrilled.

Exiting the chat, Lu Zhao zoomed in to admire her beauty repeatedly. Her already good mood soared.

Cooking noodles, she couldn’t help humming Jing Yuan’s song.

“Clear mountain moon like your eyes, lustrous jade, like a dream—”

Lu Zhao had a fine voice, clear and resonant, easily stirring emotions in low tones.

“Deeply… cough.”

But Jing Yuan’s song spanned a wide range, from low to high. It sounded easy but was hard to sing.

Lost in the song, Lu Zhao reached the final line, but her low notes failed to hit the high note, leaving her voice stuck.

Lu Zhao frowned, pausing her noodle-stirring hand.

Having sung this far, she was determined to finish.

So, relying on her vocal talent, she cleared her throat slightly and belted the song’s final high note with raw voice.

“Deeply like smoke, plunging into the sea—!!”

No technique, all emotion.

Her voice, like a broken gong, sang solely to finish the song.

But Lu Zhao was very pleased, even a bit proud, “Ah Zhao, oh Ah Zhao, how are you so amazing? You’re practically Jing Yuan possessed! Jing Yuan would regret retiring so early if she heard you sing.”

“Truly awesome!”

Lu Zhao tilted her head, as if basking in divine sunlight sent to reward her, then turned off the heat on her lavish noodles, ready to treat herself further.

But at that moment, Lu Zhao sensed something slightly off.

The room was silent. At the entrance, a glaring light shone.

It wasn’t sunlight reflecting from the window but the motion sensor light, triggered by someone’s presence.

Sheng Jingyu was back.