Has The Live-in Alpha Stepped Up - Chapter 31
31: It’s the Heat Cycle
Back at home.
An Yizhu couldn’t wait to take a sip of the chicken soup.
This was the first time she didn’t follow behind Yu Guqiu. Instead, she rushed ahead to the door, entered the passcode, swung it open, quickly kicked off her shoes, and dashed inside.
By the time Yu Guqiu stepped in, she truly saw the warm scene that had flashed through her mind earlier.
“Yu Guqiu, hurry up! Wash your hands and come try this—the chicken soup is seriously delicious!” An Yizhu had already poured the soup into bowls and couldn’t resist taking a big gulp first.
Yu Guqiu couldn’t help but lower her head, her cascading hair hiding half of her amused smile.
She had only guessed half of it right.
She had guessed right about this warm, cozy feeling that brought peace to her heart.
But she hadn’t anticipated An Yizhu’s ravenous appetite, already gulping down the soup with gusto.
Yu Guqiu, infected by An Yizhu’s excitement, quickened her pace and sat down at the dining table.
Picking up a spoon, she blew on the steaming, fragrant broth before taking a sip. The warmth spread through her body, satisfying not just her taste buds but something deeper.
She found this feeling strangely wonderful.
“It’s good, right? Right?” An Yizhu’s bright eyes sparkled as she stared at Yu Guqiu, brimming with anticipation.
“Mhm.” Yu Guqiu nodded. Of course, it was delicious.
An Yizhu didn’t hold back her smile, just as she didn’t hold back when it came to good food. Eating something tasty made her happy, and seeing Yu Guqiu enjoy it too doubled her joy.
“Here, have a chicken leg too.” An Yizhu picked out a plump drumstick from the pot.
But then she paused. It was hard to imagine what Yu Guqiu would look like gnawing on a chicken leg.
The mental image made An Yizhu giggle to herself.
Still, she didn’t dawdle. Setting the drumstick aside, she grabbed a pair of tongs from the cupboard, shredded the meat, and placed it into Yu Guqiu’s soup.
The day’s work had left Yu Guqiu utterly exhausted. She hadn’t had much of an appetite earlier—even An Lan’s exceptional cooking could only salvage it slightly. She had planned to just drink some soup and call it a night.
But as she quietly watched An Yizhu meticulously shred the chicken, she felt the younger woman’s reverence and love for food.
That feeling was contagious.
Yu Guqiu changed her mind. She picked up the shredded chicken from her soup and savored it carefully.
By the time she finished the entire drumstick’s worth of meat, she finally looked up.
And there was An Yizhu, who had long finished her own portion, sitting quietly across the table. Her bright eyes were fixed intently on Yu Guqiu—until their gazes met, and she abruptly looked away, as if caught red-handed.
Yu Guqiu found it amusing.
She pushed her own half-full thermos toward An Yizhu.
An Yizhu blinked.
Seeing her confusion, Yu Guqiu said plainly, “You can have it. I’m done.”
Yu Guqiu really wasn’t possessive about food.
Wait—no!
That wasn’t the point!
An Yizhu puffed out her cheeks. She was really being seen as a glutton now.
Even though she kind of was…
An Yizhu felt a little guilty.
But!
How could a glutton possibly be attractive to an ice-cold CEO like Yu Guqiu?
This wouldn’t do!
“What kind of person does she even like?” An Yizhu muttered under her breath.
“What?” Yu Guqiu glanced at her.
“Nothing, nothing! I was just thinking about tomorrow’s board meeting and feeling a bit nervous.” An Yizhu deflected.
“No need to be nervous. You’re just accompanying me. They’ll only target me—they won’t make demands of you.”
At most, they’d make indirect jabs.
Yu Guqiu didn’t say the latter part out loud, not wanting to scare the girl prematurely. She stirred the unfinished soup with her spoon, watching the herbs and bits of meat swirl at the bottom.
“Oh.” An Yizhu nodded, then began rubbing her palms against her pants absentmindedly, clearly restless.
Yu Guqiu studied her for a moment.
An Yizhu was staring at the clock on the wall, seemingly normal.
But Yu Guqiu still felt something was off—no, to be precise, the signs had started appearing since yesterday.
Yet An Yizhu had been perfectly cooperative at the wedding, showing no signs of wanting to disrupt anything.
Except for that strange moment when she hid in the bathroom.
But later, when Yu Guqiu had inspected her phone, nothing seemed amiss.
Only that bizarre search history stood out.
Or perhaps that strange search history was the issue?
What secret could the term “lesbian” possibly hold?
To Yu Guqiu, An Yizhu wasn’t some unfathomably deep schemer. Yet there were too many things about her that remained elusive.
But then again, that was to be expected.
She couldn’t possibly break through the confines of this world’s logic. She’d never imagine that An Yizhu—who had just realized she liked her and labeled her a “lesbian”—was acting strangely because she was at a complete loss about How to Launch a Wife-Chasing Plan.
This love-struck fool, with zero experience in romance, was utterly stumped.
Even with the advantage of being legally married, she had no idea how to advance their relationship.
Far from making things easier, her dubious background and lack of full trust only complicated matters.
The more An Yizhu thought about it, the angrier she got. She grabbed the remaining half-pot of soup and chugged it down.
After finishing, she decided to at least prove herself useful by doing some housework. She took the thermos to wash it.
Yu Guqiu saw her intention but stopped her. “No need to wash it now.”
“It’s fine, it’s just a small task. You can keep eating—I’ll wash your bowl later.” An Yizhu said, placing the thermos in the sink.
Yu Guqiu pointed to a nearby machine. “I mean, we have a dishwasher.”
“……”
An Yizhu pulled open the dishwasher door as instructed.
So much for proving herself through chores—modern technology had foiled her again.
But giving up at the first hurdle wasn’t An Yizhu’s style. Tonight, no matter what, she had to do something to nurture their relationship!
“Then… do you want to watch a movie? A post-dinner film.”
Yu Guqiu wasn’t sure what An Yizhu was up to but replied, “I don’t want to go out.”
An Yizhu brightened—since it wasn’t a rejection of the movie idea, she pressed on. “No need to go out. We can watch it here. Isn’t this home theater system in the living room just going to waste?”
If modernity had thwarted her earlier, it would now come to her aid.
Yu Guqiu still didn’t understand An Yizhu’s intentions, but the warmth of the soup had left her drowsy. She wasn’t in the mood to return to the day’s stressful work and was looking for a way to pass the time.
“What movie do you want to watch?”
“Or we could… huh?”
An Yizhu hadn’t expected the workaholic to agree so readily. She’d even been prepared to suggest watching the news as a fallback.
Once she processed Yu Guqiu’s answer, afraid she might change her mind, she hurriedly said, “I’ll find something good. What do you want to watch?”
“Anything. But I have a meeting at nine, so pick something short.” Yu Guqiu finished the last of her soup, stood up, and began clearing the table.
While Yu Guqiu loaded the dishwasher, An Yizhu settled onto the sofa, fiddling with the home theater system to see what was available.
She was excited.
In this world, she hadn’t seen a single movie.
And now she was about to watch one with Yu Guqiu—at home, with a home theater system!
An Yizhu sorted the recent films by rating and skimmed through them, skipping thrillers and dramas.
What would be good for “couples” to watch?
Why weren’t there any romance films among the top-rated ones?
She kept looking.
A horror movie?
Horror would work too.
An Yizhu’s eyes gleamed.
If Yu Guqiu, who was usually buried in work and rarely watched horror films, got so scared by a jump scare that she wanted to scream but held it in…
Ah! That would be adorable!
Ahem.
An Yizhu quickly snapped out of her daydream. She already liked Yu Guqiu—no need to keep self-sabotaging!
Anyway!
They’d watch a horror movie, and she’d take the chance to close the distance between them.
Seemed feasible!
An Yizhu swore this wasn’t about taking advantage—just about strengthening their marital bond.
By the time Yu Guqiu finished tidying the dining area and turned off the lights, the atmosphere in the living room was just right.
They were alone.
But even though it was the same as the past few days, the dim lighting made An Yizhu’s heart race even more.
Yu Guqiu walked over slowly, holding a steaming cup she’d just made with the coffee machine.
Clearly, today’s work had been a headache, and she wasn’t planning to sleep early tonight.
Seeing An Yizhu staring at her in the dark, Yu Guqiu tossed her a bottle of water. “There’s nothing else to drink at home.”
An Yizhu opened it and took a sip. Even plain water tasted sweet to her now.
“So thoughtful, Yu Guqiu! How did you know I was thirsty?”
Yu Guqiu was gradually getting used to An Yizhu’s exaggerated compliments. She gave a slight nod in acknowledgment before sitting at her usual spot on the far end of the sofa.
The massive five-meter-long couch meant that these legally married wives were about to watch a movie together—with a whole galaxy between them.
An Yizhu regretted designing such an oversized three-seater sofa just to make the room look grand.
With Yu Guqiu’s personality, even a one-meter single-seater would’ve been fine. She’d have just made do without bothering to replace it.
Clutching her water bottle, An Yizhu couldn’t even find an excuse to move closer. All she could do was let the movie play.
This horror film lived up to its high rating.
It didn’t rely on gore or cheap scares. Instead, it used music and visuals to weave a suffocating, terrifying atmosphere.
Within the first three minutes, it had completely drawn the audience in.
An Yizhu felt a chill down her spine. Had she never noticed before that the sofa was right under an air vent?
She pressed herself deeper into the cushions, trying to burrow into the sofa’s embrace. She even grabbed a nearby pillow to hug and pulled the blanket draped over the armrest tightly around herself.
Thud—!
“Ah!”
The first jump scare came out of nowhere, startling An Yizhu so badly she nearly leaped off the couch.
She had to admit—she was the one with less experience watching horror films.
She didn’t even have time to check Yu Guqiu’s reaction. After her scream, she buried her face in the pillow, mumbling an apology, “Sorry, couldn’t help it.”
In the darkened room, only the eerie glow from the film illuminated Yu Guqiu’s face.
But as she glanced at the “little ostrich,” her smile softened.
Should she tell her?
That she’d already seen this horror movie—and there were plenty more scares to come.
“If you keep hiding like that, you won’t be able to watch the film.” Yu Guqiu said instead.
Hearing that Yu Guqiu wasn’t upset, An Yizhu perked up and peeked at her again.
Yu Guqiu had already finished her coffee, the empty cup now on the table.
The buttons of her casual blazer were undone, relaxed, but her shirt remained meticulously fastened.
“Staring at me won’t help you watch the movie either.” Yu Guqiu reminded her, not wanting her to miss the scenes.
“……” An Yizhu, caught red-handed, hid half her face behind the pillow.
Seeing her reaction, Yu Guqiu added, “If you’re scared—”
“I’m not scared!” An Yizhu cut in, afraid Yu Guqiu’s next words would be, “We can stop.”
“Alright.” Yu Guqiu’s lips curled. Such a stubborn little thing.
It seemed tonight’s entertainment had shifted from watching a horror film to seeing how many times this little ostrich would get scared.
An Yizhu took advantage of a non-scary moment to inch closer.
By now, her movements weren’t about getting nearer to Yu Guqiu but about wedging herself into the sofa’s crevices for better protection.
She tensed up, determined not to get frightened again.
The horror film’s plot continued.
The earlier buildup had concluded, and An Yizhu finally let out a sigh of relief.
But this film’s brilliance lay in its twists.
“Huh?!” An Yizhu nearly shot off the sofa. “A main character just died like that?”
Yu Guqiu stayed silent.
An Yizhu quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.
Bang—!
“Ah!”
Another scare.
The dead character had suddenly reappeared to haunt the protagonist.
The protagonist felt betrayed—and so did An Yizhu!
This screenwriter was terrifying!
An Yizhu surrendered, casting a pleading look at Yu Guqiu. At some point, only an arm’s length remained between them.
After a brief internal struggle, she asked, “Can I have the pillow on your side? If you’re not using it… I’m kinda cold.”
Yu Guqiu’s smile deepened, but she indulged An Yizhu’s last-ditch effort to save face and handed her the pillow.
As An Yizhu took the “defensive gear,” she stole another glance at Yu Guqiu.
Was it her imagination, or had she just heard laughter?
She was definitely being laughed at again.
What a reversal of roles.
Why couldn’t she even seize the opportunity during a horror movie? I’m so useless!
An Yizhu felt a pang of frustration, but her greatest strength was her optimism.
Her sadness lasted only a second before she pushed aside her thoughts and immersed herself back in the film. She’d figure things out after it ended.
After multiple plot twists, An Yizhu was in awe of the screenwriter’s skill. The story, while logically coherent, took a turn that was both horrifying and heartwarming.
The ending was thrilling and left room for endless imagination.
No wonder it had such high ratings—it was fantastic!
Who was this screenwriter?
Just as An Yizhu wondered this, a weight settled on her shoulder.
Yu Guqiu had dozed off at some point, her eyes closed gracefully as she leaned against An Yizhu.
An Yizhu had no idea how she’d ended up so close to Yu Guqiu, but every embarrassing moment during the film was now worth it for this.
Yu Guqiu was truly exhausted. Despite the coffee, the terrifying movie hadn’t been enough to keep her awake.
The meeting was at nine. It was 8:20 now—she could let her rest until 8:45.
An Yizhu steadied herself, hoping to provide a comfortable resting spot for Yu Guqiu.
Carefully, she draped the blanket she’d been clutching over Yu Guqiu.
But in doing so, she noticed how wrinkled and nearly torn one corner of the blanket was from her grip.
Thank you so much, Ms. Screenwriter.
An Yizhu kept watching the credits, waiting for the scrolling names until she found the screenwriter’s.
Screenwriter: Ji Lu.
An Yizhu took a sharp breath and clenched her fists.
She hadn’t expected the true horror of the film to hit her at the very end—with the screenwriter’s name.
Ji Lu.
The original novel’s Alpha female lead.
The future legendary screenwriter.
She was already making a name for herself.
An Yizhu’s sense of crisis erupted.
The past few days had been busy yet comfortable, almost making her forget this world’s destined plot.
Yu Guqiu… has someone she likes.
Just thinking about this made An Yizhu feel a pang of sadness.
She had just been foolishly pondering what kind of person Yu Guqiu might like.
But wasn’t the answer obvious from the start?
Ji Lu.
An outstanding woman.
Kind, talented, witty, full of dreams, successful in her career, unyielding in her determination, and capable of staying calm in the face of danger.
And what did she have?
An Yizhu slowly shook her head.
No, no, no. I can’t start belittling myself just because I like someone. That’s pointless.
Of course, she had her own strengths too.
She had talent and dreams of her own.
And more importantly, she was the one by Yu Guqiu’s side now—the one who would help her rewrite her fate.
Thinking of the unfinished painting still waiting at the welfare center, An Yizhu nodded firmly.
Instead of racking her brain to do silly things to get closer to Yu Guqiu or catch her attention, she should focus on improving herself.
Liking Yu Guqiu, cooperating with her to clear obstacles, and pursuing her own painting dreams—none of these things conflicted with each other.
An Yizhu took some time to calm the shock, frustration, and chaos in her heart.
It was already 8:45.
She gently patted Yu Guqiu’s shoulder.
Yu Guqiu was a light sleeper and quickly stirred awake at the touch.
An Yizhu rarely got to see Yu Guqiu in such a drowsy state and couldn’t help but smile.
She carefully organized her words and said to Yu Guqiu, “You mentioned you have a meeting at nine. There are still fifteen minutes left. You should freshen up, tidy your appearance, and maybe prepare some materials for the meeting?”
Yu Guqiu blinked slowly, focusing on the person in front of her. Realizing how close they were, she murmured, “This isn’t a dream.”
An Yizhu tried to decipher the meaning behind those words and blinked back. “You dreamed about me?”
Hearing that, Yu Guqiu snapped awake, averting her gaze and shaking her head. “You’re right. I should get ready for the meeting.”
An Yizhu knew priorities when she saw them and didn’t press further. She obediently went to turn on the lights.
Yu Guqiu stared at An Yizhu’s retreating figure, shaking off the remnants of sleepiness.
She had dreamed of An Yizhu.
In the dream, they were also watching a movie—what film it was didn’t matter. They were simply enjoying each other’s company.
It didn’t seem any different from reality.
And yet, there were subtle differences.
They sat shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm.
As the lights brightened the room, Yu Guqiu squinted slightly and pushed the thoughts away.
She checked the time on her phone.
The last thing she remembered was the film’s final twist.
This movie was famous for its twists—one every fifteen minutes. She must have slept for about forty minutes, yet she felt as refreshed as if she’d slept a full night.
Was this the charm of a 100% pheromone match?
But today, An Yizhu’s pheromones had been unusually well-behaved. Even when startled, she hadn’t lost control. She must have learned how to regulate her pheromones in daily life.
Yu Guqiu looked up to see An Yizhu bringing her a cup of hot water.
“You’ve already had coffee. If you don’t mind, maybe just drink hot water before your meeting tonight. We should buy some milk soon—then you can have warm milk instead.” An Yizhu spoke gently.
Yu Guqiu didn’t usually like hot water. Plain warm water felt oddly dry and irritating to her throat.
But holding this cup was comforting, and she was willing to accept it—even if she didn’t drink it.
Next time, warm milk would be better.
“Let’s buy some tomorrow.”
Even though tomorrow was the board meeting, she now had one more reason to look forward to it.
“Okay, good luck with your meeting.” An Yizhu raised her hands in encouragement.
Then she retreated to her room, fading into the background to minimize her presence.
The next day, An Yizhu set an early alarm, planning to get up and buy breakfast for Yu Guqiu.
But when she stepped out, she found Yu Guqiu already sitting at the dining table.
The overhead light cast a pallor over her face.
At first, An Yizhu thought it was a trick of the light—but no. Yu Guqiu’s lips, usually rosy without lipstick, now looked unnaturally pale.
An Yizhu hurried to the table. “Are you okay? You don’t look well. Did you not sleep properly last night?”
Yu Guqiu glanced up. That was a pertinent question.
Aside from the forty minutes on the sofa, she hadn’t gotten much rest.
There had been endless issues overseas, and she’d spent most of the night dealing with them.
But she just shook her head. Telling An Yizhu wouldn’t change anything.
“You woke up so early—why not sleep a little longer?” she asked instead.
Seeing Yu Guqiu’s reluctance to share, An Yizhu didn’t push. She shook her head. “I was going to buy breakfast since there’s nothing at home. I didn’t expect you’d already prepared it.”
On the table were soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns—a rare, piping-hot Chinese breakfast.
Yu Guqiu tapped on her phone and forwarded a contact to An Yizhu. “If there’s anything you’d like to eat, you can message her. She handles our meals.”
An Yizhu was stunned by the convenience of high-end residential areas. After saving the contact, she sighed inwardly.
Another avenue for showing off my usefulness—blocked!
There was still plenty of time before the board meeting, so the two ate breakfast leisurely.
Throughout, An Yizhu kept an eye on Yu Guqiu. Only when her complexion gradually returned to normal did she relax.
When it was time, they headed downstairs.
Lin Meng was already in the car today. As soon as the two got in, she handed a document to Yu Guqiu.
“President Yu, these figures have been revised. You’ll need to review them before the meeting.”
“Mhm.” Yu Guqiu took the file.
An Yizhu didn’t understand.
If being CEO was this exhausting, why were people fighting so desperately for the position?
Wouldn’t it be better to let someone as diligent as Yu Guqiu keep the role while they reaped the benefits?
But even as she grumbled internally, she knew exactly what those power-hungry people were thinking. Humans were greedy by nature—herself included.
An Yizhu admired Yu Guqiu’s profile as they drove.
When they arrived at Yu Corporation’s headquarters, An Yizhu followed Yu Guqiu to her office on the 60th floor.
The board meeting, as per tradition, was scheduled for the 58th floor—but none of the directors had arrived yet.
“President Yu, should I arrange for Madam to rest in the lounge first?” Lin Meng knew Yu Guqiu always liked to double-check everything in her office before board meetings.
But Yu Guqiu said, “No need. Xiao Zhu will come with me.”
Lin Meng gave An Yizhu a surprised look.
An Yizhu didn’t understand what was happening, but when Lin Meng’s “What kind of love potion did you give President Yu?” glare landed on her, she proudly lifted her chin and followed Yu Guqiu into the office.
The secretaries whispered among themselves.
“President Yu has really broken a lot of rules for Madam.”
“Well, she is Madam. Of course, she’s treated differently.”
“Hehe, online rumors are saying President Yu got married in secret because she didn’t want to go public with her wife. They have no idea how sweet these two are! If anything, she’s probably protecting her wife!”
This time, even Lin Meng turned a blind eye to the gossip. She even secretly searched online and confirmed the rumors—several posts were gaining traction.
But her attention quickly returned to the closed office door. She was far more concerned about what was happening inside.
Bang—!
Inside the office, An Yizhu was stunned.
The moment they entered, before she could react, Yu Guqiu—who had been all business just seconds ago—pinned her against the wall with one hand.
“Yu Guqiu, what’s… what’s wrong?” An Yizhu wasn’t sure how to help. She reached up to touch Yu Guqiu’s forehead, checking for a fever.
Slap—!
Her hand was caught mid-air, Yu Guqiu’s grip tight around her wrist.
The pain made An Yizhu wonder—Was this another boundary violation?
“I just wanted to check if you had a fever.”
Yu Guqiu lifted her head, the corners of her eyes tinged red.
That familiar feeling!
An Yizhu immediately reversed their positions, gripping Yu Guqiu’s wrist while steadying her waist with her other hand.
The moment Yu Guqiu felt the electrifying touch on her lower back, her legs gave out, and she collapsed forward into An Yizhu’s arms.
The sudden physical change had been too abrupt. Holding out until they reached the office had drained her last reserves of strength.
“Yu Guqiu, what’s wrong?!” An Yizhu didn’t dare raise her voice, afraid of being overheard. She held Yu Guqiu close, whispering into her ear.
Yu Guqiu shuddered at the warm breath against her ear and let out a soft, involuntary whimper. “Don’t…”
An Yizhu’s breath hitched.
Hearing Yu Guqiu’s uncharacteristically soft, sweet moan, her entire body tensed—but she didn’t dare move recklessly.
“Don’t… what?”
Her mind was in chaos. She immediately regretted asking such a distracting question.
She forced herself to focus.
This is the CEO’s office—a place for work!
She looked out the window at the view, then at the meticulously organized office.
But her thoughts only grew more tangled!
Yu Guqiu pressed a hand over An Yizhu’s mouth. “Don’t speak.”
An Yizhu’s lips pressed against Yu Guqiu’s palm as their eyes locked.
Yu Guqiu closed her eyes briefly.
Even if An Yizhu didn’t speak, her warm breath still seeped through Yu Guqiu’s fingers.
Even her concerned gaze made Yu Guqiu’s skin prickle with discomfort.
Yu Guqiu leaned in closer.
An Yizhu felt the heat of her body approaching, her breathing growing erratic.
In the rush of air between them, she caught the scent of roses.
Yu Guqiu rose onto her tiptoes, bringing her lips to An Yizhu’s ear and whispering the answer:
“It’s my heat cycle.”