Are You Allergic To Romance? - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Dear Baby

One day a few days later, in the afternoon.

“Little Whale, are you really sure you want to live there? Honestly, that place is quite far from the city.” The woman with the intellectual demeanor sitting across from her spoke gently while handing the grape juice the waiter had just brought over to her dear daughter.

Her voice was filled with worry.

Just as Jing Yuan reached out to take it, the other dark-haired woman sitting next to the beautiful lady spoke up with slight displeasure: “Why didn’t you give it to me first, my dear?”

Here we go again.

Jing Yuan sighed helplessly inside, quietly observing the two mothers.

Yes, she, the one called “Little Whale,” is Jing Yuan, and she has two mothers.

To tell them apart, she’s called them ‘Mummy’ and ‘Mama (Old Mom)’ since she was little.

One is her very loving Mummy, Professor Qi Wenxi, a biology professor who is elegant and incredibly gentle.

The other is her dear Old Mom, Jing Lian. She’s the terrifying person who gets insanely jealous if Mummy is too nice to her daughter, like right now, getting upset because a glass of grape juice was given to her daughter before her partner.

Technically, her Old Mom isn’t human. She is an Abyss Ancient God, an unknown, terrifying entity living in the deep sea.

Jing Yuan has inherited her special bloodline, but it’s currently unstable.

It’s been especially bad lately.

“Jing Lian, you didn’t say you wanted a drink,” Professor Qi Wenxi chuckled softly.

“You know I love this! Grape juice is my favorite! It looks like I’m no longer in your heart, only Little Whale, right?” The golden eyes of the dark-haired woman named Jing Lian were clouded with resentment and grievance, though to Jing Yuan, this theatrical display of emotion was just—

My Old Mom is pretending to be wronged again.

Yet, Mama’s clumsy acting always works on Mummy.

Always.

“I do have you, of course I do. Don’t be like that, why would a mother argue with her daughter? Little Whale is here, and this is a restaurant,” Qi Wenxi quickly asked the server for another glass of grape juice to soothe her lover’s fragile heart.

The dark-haired woman finally looked a little happier. She raised her eyes toward her daughter sitting stiffly across from her. The girl had the same black hair and golden eyes as herself, but Jing Yuan’s eyes were darker, more gloomy.

She had the potential to be a permanent third wheel.

“She can be independent now,” Jing Lian said slowly after observing her for a moment.

The meaning was clear: Jing Yuan should be tactful and stay away so as not to interrupt her and her wife’s alone time.

“I have always been independent, Mama.” Jing Yuan gently set down her cutlery, feeling a bit resigned. She pushed the glass of grape juice toward her incredibly petty Old Mom.

Knowing her Old Mom had a heart smaller than a pinhead, she added, “Thanks to you, my physical state gets very unstable at night, so that secluded place is quite suitable for me.”

“You could also just stay at the bottom of the sea and sleep for a few hundred years until you stabilize, my dear Little Whale,” Jing Lian suggested a “clear path.”

Professor Qi Wenxi, who doted on her daughter, immediately pinched her partner’s arm, telling her to be quiet.

She then cleared her throat and said, “Little Whale, don’t listen to your mother. Lu Ze told me the Mìsōng place has been tidied up. You must tell us if you need anything. I’m still very uneasy about you living there alone.”

Upon hearing this, both Jing Lian and Jing Yuan simultaneously wondered, Does she really need to worry about her daughter (me)?

“It’s okay. You two enjoy your vacation. I’m fine.” Jing Yuan comforted Mummy, promising she would be perfectly safe and would definitely contact them if anything happened.

But Qi Wenxi didn’t agree. Her little baby used to be so clingy when she was young, following Mummy everywhere. But for some reason, as she grew up, she became more and more like Jing Lian.

Her temperament was quieter and more indifferent than when she was little, especially those golden-brown eyes, which made her whole demeanor seem a bit distant.

A little… Do Not Approach.

This situation was probably due to “step-mother” Jing Lian, who threw Little Whale into the deep sea to train her physique before she was even a year old, and often tossed her in when Qi Wenxi wasn’t looking. Qi Wenxi still got angry every time she thought of it.

“I still remember you throwing Little Whale into the sea when she was small.”

“Qiqi, you always worry too much. Look how well Jing Yuan is doing now, she’s perfect,” Jing Lian said without conceding. Her daughter was not human, after all.

Qi Wenxi neither confirmed nor denied her lover’s words.

Little Whale often couldn’t control her transformations. Her lover’s explanation was that Jing Yuan inherited too powerful a bloodline.

No matter how powerful, she was always a good baby in Mummy’s eyes.

Qi Wenxi often missed Jing Yuan’s adorable milky voice when she was small. Back then, she even had a little whale-shaped tail, like a small fan—a very magical form.

She really did miss it. It was a pity she hadn’t taken more childhood photos.

Even as an adult, Little Whale’s physical changes haven’t faded; in fact, her condition has become more unstable lately.

That’s why Little Whale always wraps herself up very tightly. The grotesque black markings on her left arm and neck are obvious, and her deep-set eyes are also due to these parasitic markings.

Because of this, Jing Yuan rarely initiates contact with people, likely afraid that her uncontrollable appearance might frighten others.

Qi Wenxi often worried that Jing Yuan might seal off her inner self because of this, unwilling to form any bonds.

Though the girl never showed it outwardly.

She always gave off a look that said: I’m fine, don’t worry.

As a parent, this made Qi Wenxi even more heartbroken.

It wasn’t until Jing Yuan had said goodbye that Qi Wenxi sighed and asked her partner: “Will our Little Whale’s condition always be unstable?”

“Of course not. She’s already exercising restraint.”

Restraining her hunger, restraining her wildness.

“I still feel uneasy about Little Whale living alone in Mìsōng Town.”

Jing Lian: ?

With her unstable state, the city would be less safe—for others.

Of course, Jing Lian didn’t dare say that.

“Are you worried about her being in danger? She won’t be, my dear.” Jing Lian couldn’t figure out how to make her partner accept that Little Whale wasn’t a normal human. Why did Qi Wenxi always treat her and Little Whale like ordinary people?

“Living alone will definitely be lonely. Her personality is too shy,” Qi Wenxi worried.

Shy?

If the outward pretense counts, then yes, shy.

But her daughter was anything but shy when she was in the deep sea.

Jing Lian clicked her tongue, deciding to save her daughter some face and not expose her.

“Let me think, when I was her age, hmm…” Jing Lian looked up at the sky, then laughed awkwardly: “It’s been too long, I can’t remember.” Jing Lian wouldn’t tell Qi Wenxi about her glorious history, lest she scare her.

“So what do you remember?” Qi Wenxi gave her a helpless look and smoothed down Jing Lian’s hair.

Jing Lian lowered her head slightly, allowing Qi Wenxi to stroke her hair. She narrowed her eyes, deliberately gazing at her Qiqi with the seductive, vertical pupils of her beast form. Even after all these years together, Qi Wenxi looked just as captivating as the first time they met.

“I remember all your first times with me.”

“Jing Lian, you’re scaring me with that look again, you’re—” going too far! Qi Wenxi was cut off mid-sentence as her lover wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her.

This scene was not only witnessed by passersby but was also seen clearly by Jing Yuan, who had just turned the street corner.

Jing Yuan truly couldn’t bear to look at the appalling behavior of her Old Mom passionately kissing her Mummy in the middle of the street.

She felt embarrassed for her Old Mom.

Watching her elders, she felt a mix of helplessness and envy. She never quite understood how her Old Mom found such a gentle and kind Mummy and then raised her.

It was like an extremely evil warlord corrupted a beautiful and pure iris flower, yet Mummy could endure the other’s tyrannical behavior and often indulge her.

It was exactly as her Old Mom used to boast: This is love.

Jing Yuan sighed softly. She still didn’t understand this emotion.

Perhaps, given her circumstances, she would never get the chance to understand it.

Though she couldn’t feel the cold, she silently pulled up her collar to cover the lower half of her face and continued walking quickly.

Her car was parked some distance away, requiring a bit of a walk.

As she got into the car, the sky’s last ray of sunlight was covered by thick clouds.

It looks like it’s going to rain again.

Liántán City is always overcast and rainy year-round. She was used to it and habitually kept a long umbrella in her car.

Jing Yuan took a deep breath, trying to quietly empty her mind as she looked straight ahead.

The reason she walked so quickly was because she felt the instability returning.

She frowned slightly and pulled at her collar a few times, trying to relax quickly, but the sudden jerks caused by forcibly suppressing her innate hunting instinct made her feel even more stifled.

She was being consumed by hunger.

She slowly adjusted the seat and closed her eyes.

Immediately, grotesque and terrifying black markings surged out from her pale neck, climbing onto her face and under her eye sockets.

These chilling life forms wriggled about, agonizingly searching for an outlet due to their owner’s deliberate suppression.

Jing Yuan tugged at her collar several times, trying to calm down.

“Why is it unstable even during the day…” she muttered in annoyance, her thoughts drifting back to her mothers’ worries at the restaurant.

Did she really have to follow her Old Mom’s suggestion and just sleep at the bottom of the sea?

Mummy always said she was solitary, but who would accept her looking like this?

Jing Yuan tugged at her lips, deep in thought.

Suddenly, a figure approached the car window.

She immediately opened her already vertical pupils, looking alertly outside.

A woman wearing polarized sunglasses was bending over, peering into her car window with a raised eyebrow. After seemingly confirming the car was empty, she took out a lipstick from her bag and began applying it.

Jing Yuan narrowed her eyes, intently observing the stylishly dressed woman through the car window.

(Okay, be a lady. Fine, you have to make me attend this shtty meeting… Great, I smeared it.)*

The woman in the sunglasses sneered while wiping off and reapplying the lipstick against the car window. The makeup mistake clearly annoyed her.

Jing Yuan quietly observed the woman’s every move. She could read all the muttered thoughts from the shape of her lips.

Looks like she’s in a bad mood.

Just as Jing Yuan thought about lowering the window to alert the woman that someone was inside.

“Do what you want to do. You are unique, baby.”

The woman suddenly said this to her reflection in the car window, then raised the corner of her mouth into a confident, bright smile.

Jing Yuan’s hand paused over the button. She stared blankly at the woman.

They were separated by only a car window.

For a moment, she thought the woman was speaking those words to her.

That smile was also sudden.

Even though it was cloudy, it felt as though light had just shone through.

She stared for a moment, then decided to continue watching the woman outside the car.

Quietly, gazing, without giving a warning.

The woman in the sunglasses leaned closer to the car window to carefully check her face, then swept back her long hair, ensuring her beautiful curls were not frizzy.

A few strands of hair were sticking up on the left side.

Jing Yuan slightly frowned and used her finger to point at the slightly flawed area.

Fortunately, the woman noticed and smoothed the strands down. Jing Yuan’s brow instantly relaxed.

She must be satisfied with her appearance, Jing Yuan thought.

Jing Yuan watched the woman’s retreating back and felt a sudden amusement, perhaps directed at herself or at this “lady” who had used her car window as a mirror.

Little did she know, her own alienation had faded and vanished because of this small “encounter” through the window.

She seemed to be back to normal. Jing Yuan touched her neck, then looked up at the gloomy sky, thinking it was better to head straight to that seaside courtyard.

Starting today, she would temporarily reside there to cultivate peace.

She hoped everything would go smoothly.

Jing Yuan started the car and set the navigation to the western part of Mìsōng.

Immediately, she received a message from Mr. Lu:

“Miss, the house has been cleaned and prepared according to your instructions. For your comfort, the previous owner specifically left you a welcome gift: Jindou and Yuanbao. Hope you like them!”

Jindou and Yuanbao?

Jing Yuan frowned in confusion.

Then, she received another message:

“They are two guard ducks.”