Clingy! The Sickly but Beautiful and Strong Alpha Is a Loyal Puppy Who Needs Pampering - Chapter 8

Delayed too long outside the research institute, it was nearly two o’clock when Bei Yin finally brought Ruan Fei back to her third-floor dormitory.

The standard single room had a pristine white color scheme with a sleek, modern design. A floor-to-ceiling window facing south beside the living area flooded the space with natural light. Though the room was packed with belongings, the cleaning robot assigned to Bei Yin by the executive kept everything spotless.

The moment its owner returned, the robot extended two metal arms, using its metallic hands to take her bag. In a sweet, sugary voice, it chirped, “Darling, welcome home!”

“Thanks, Xiao Ai.”

Ruan Fei lingered at the doorway, waiting until Bei Yin fetched a pair of pure white slippers for her before bending down to change. Once inside, she settled on the sofa, watching the diligent little robot scrub the bag.

Bei Yin rummaged through the fridge. “We’ve got meat, chicken, fish—what would you like?”

Ruan Fei kept her eyes on the robot. “You must be exhausted, Sister. Just a nutrient drink is fine.”

“It’s no trouble. Cooking is one of the ways I unwind.”

As technology advanced, an endless variety of nutrient drinks had flooded the market—each tube capable of sustaining a person for an entire day. Few were willing to waste an hour cooking and another half-hour eating anymore. On a bustling street, you’d be hard-pressed to find even five restaurants.

Growing up poor, Bei Yin’s family couldn’t afford nutrient drinks, so her mother had no choice but to cook cheap meals for her. Over time, Bei Yin grew accustomed to preparing and eating real food, reserving nutrient drinks only for missions.

Ruan Fei relented. “Then just one meat dish and one vegetable—two dishes are enough.”

“Staple food.” Bei Yin held rice in one hand and a steamed bun in the other. “Which one?”

But dark eyes skipped over both options, instead burning with intensity as they locked onto the person holding them.

“…” Bei Yin turned away. “Rice it is.”

Those dark eyes shifted back to the little robot, now huffing and puffing as it polished a pair of shoes.

“Sister, can I fiddle with your things a bit?”

“Go ahead. Feel free to explore and play with anything in the room.”

“Huff, huff… huh?” Xiao Ai suddenly sensed a terrifying, oppressive shadow looming behind it.

Its bald metal head had only halfway turned when—click—someone removed its chip, extinguishing the light in its hexagonal eyes.

Ruan Fei plugged the chip into her wristband and tinkered for a moment.

Soon, Bei Yin heard the robot reboot with a new greeting: “Xiao Ai restarting. New welcome protocol detected. Updated command: Master, welcome home.”

Bei Yin rubbed her temples, torn between laughter and exasperation. “It’s just an innocent little thing. Was that really necessary?”

Ruan Fei sidled up to her, tilting her head to nuzzle affectionately against Bei Yin’s.

“Cuddles~ Since I destroyed one little cutie, how about I compensate you with a big one, hmm?”

Bei Yin teased, “More like a little devil—always up to mischief.”

“Even if I’m mischievous, Sister still likes me.” Humming a little tune, Ruan Fei helped wash the vegetables.

Before long, her pheromones seeped out again, drifting toward Bei Yin at the stove. True to her word, she kept the concentration at just one percent—soft as clouds drifting at high altitudes, light as a breeze laced with rum, carrying a faint, refreshing coolness that lifted the spirits.

“Do you like it, Sister?”

“Mhm, I do.”

“Then I’ll release more in the future—”

Dark eyes, glinting with threads of obsessive possessiveness, half-lidded as they watched the profile partially hidden by hair.

“—until you grow accustomed, then dependent, then addicted. That way, you’ll never be able to leave me… and you won’t ever want to.”

When Bei Yin turned around, all traces of gloom in her eyes vanished, replaced by an innocent and docile expression.

“Then the little leopard must work hard. This sister, six years your senior, has seen quite a lot.”

“Mhm, Ruanruan will work hard.”

The pheromones that had been drifting obediently suddenly turned mischievous.

Forming an invisible, transparent strand, they rolled around on her back like a little leopard tumbling in the grass, eventually making their way to the hair covering her scent gland.

She could clearly feel them standing up like a snake, stealthily trying to sneak into her gland.

She stood on her tiptoes and vigorously rubbed her head. “Stop fooling around. Serve the dishes, let’s eat.”

“Oh~” Ruanruan whined pitifully. “Sister won’t even give me a tiny bit of her pheromones.”

Bei Yin pulled out a chair and asked, “How much concentration can you handle?”

“For others, 100% wouldn’t even make me blink. For Sister, 0.01%.”

In other words, the moment she caught a whiff of her pheromones, she’d go mad. Bei Yin said, “Keep dreaming, little leopard.”

The Alpha across from her buried her face in her food, a pitiful shadow cast over her head.

Bei Yin pretended not to see.

Her appetite wasn’t large, so nearly all the food from the two dishes ended up in Ruanruan’s stomach.

Satisfied and full, Ruanruan automatically started cleaning up and washing the dishes without Bei Yin having to say a word.

“Sister, are you busy this afternoon? Want to go buy a dress together?”

“Busy. I have dozens of newly revived patients to give full checkups to. I’ll probably be working until 10 p.m. I have a few old ones, so I won’t go shopping.”

Bei Yin paused, then asked casually, “Are you a military officer?”

After a long silence, the person washing the dishes nodded. “Mhm…”

“Evening banquet etiquette requires military officers to wear dress uniforms. The colors vary by region—what’s yours?”

“Ruanruan doesn’t have a color!”

Bei Yin smiled helplessly. With Ruanruan, she always preferred directness. “You seem afraid of me knowing your identity.”

After another pause, the dishwashing girl spoke in an almost inaudible voice, laced with unease: “If you knew, you wouldn’t like me anymore. So Sister shouldn’t find out.”

Bei Yin didn’t press further. “The rehab patients are at the military hospital. If you’re free this afternoon, you can come with me to hang out.”

“Okay~”

……

It was called the military hospital’s rehabilitation wing, but the moment Ruan Fei stepped inside, it felt like she’d walked into a psychiatric ward.

Patients in hospital gowns staggered around like zombies from Plants vs. Zombies, their expressions vacant, their limbs uncoordinated—a grand spectacle of humans struggling to tame their own bodies.

“Why does this body feel so hard to control? The last one was way easier.”

“Can… can someone help me? I got a new brain, so why can’t I even walk properly?”

The professional nurses, utterly unfazed, repeated mechanically: “This is normal right after waking up. Your balance will recover in three days. Now, practice walking!”

When they noticed the two newcomers, everyone turned to stare in unison.

The revived patients and nurses present were all Betas, unable to immediately discern whether the two were Alphas or Omegas.

Their height and looks fit the Alpha standard, but the clingy, soft demeanor—more Omega-like than an actual Omega—left them puzzled.

Someone finally voiced the question.

Bei Yin watched as the little devil grinned mischievously.

“I’m an Omega, having a twisted OO romance with Sister.”

Thud!

Thud!

One by one, the “zombies” toppled over in shock.

After Bei Yin explained, the revived patients—now stunned by the revelation that “Chief Bei actually has an Alpha”—resumed their struggle to tame their limbs.

The little imp mischievously ran over, baring two wicked little fangs, and began limping in imitation of them.

“Look, I walk better than you all.”

This provoked the “zombies” to shout, “How shameless! Dr. Bei, send your posing Alpha home right now!”

Bei Yin stood to the side laughing, unable to help shaking her head.

This twenty-two-year-old junior truly had boundless energy for mischief and antics.

In the past, the passing years like tree rings hadn’t stirred any particular emotions in her.

But these past two days, at some unknown moment, it suddenly struck her—she was already twenty-eight.

No, in two more months, she’d be twenty-nine.

The seven-year age gap with the little leopard was truly a number that made one sigh.

Amid the commotion, Ruan Fei’s wristband beeped twice. She picked it up to check the message.

Then, trotting over to Bei Yin, she said, “I have a mission to go on.”

“Mhm, alright, go ahead. Wishing you a safe return.”

Ruan Fei extended her hand, conveying her desire to hold Bei Yin’s.

The movement was deliberately slow—had Bei Yin frowned or shown any resistance, she could have instantly suppressed the impulse.

But there was no rejection. Bei Yin simply stood there, gazing at her with a faint smile.

So, Ruan Fei quickened her motion, lifting that hand to press a fleeting kiss to the pale, delicate back of it—light as a dragonfly skimming water.

In the blink of an eye, the tall, long-legged Alpha beauty had disappeared through the rehabilitation ward’s doorway.

Gone too was the pleasant pheromone scent that always lingered around her.

Only the faintest trace remained on the back of Bei Yin’s hand from that intimate gesture.

Lifting it to her nose, Bei Yin smiled slightly. “Hmm… it really is quite addictive, isn’t it?”