My Wife Is The Female Lead In A Scum Alpha Novel - Chapter 21

21

Ruan Zhi hurried downstairs but detected no trace of Gu Qingci’s pheromones outside—even Xue Linhuan’s scent had completely vanished.

The potency of the aphrodisiac incense was overwhelming. Having experienced it herself, Ruan Zhi knew that while one could barely maintain clarity of mind, suppressing the release of pheromones was impossible.

She suspected Gu Qingci had taken Xue Linhuan into the lake, as water was the only effective barrier against pheromones.

But jumping from the third floor while carrying Xue Linhuan would have created a splash loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear. Yet, judging by the scene earlier, no one had noticed any such sound.

Climbing down slowly would have taken considerable effort, and with so many boats on the opposite shore, wouldn’t someone have noticed?

Perhaps they hadn’t left Fu Yun Restaurant at all but merely switched rooms?

Even if they had avoided detection for now, carrying Xue Linhuan was still dangerous.

After a moment’s thought, Ruan Zhi immediately instructed Lian Rui and the coachman to rent a boat and search the lake under the pretense of looking for lost jewelry, enlisting the boatman’s help to dredge the waters.

Meanwhile, Ruan Zhi returned to the restaurant and reserved all the vacant private rooms, searching each one.

After combing through every room on all three floors without success, she descended with a faint sheen of sweat on her brow, an inexplicable unease tightening her chest.

Had they drowned in the lake?

As she stepped outside, a voice spoke beside her:

“We found him. How do you want to handle it? Do you wish to see him now?”

Ruan Zhi turned to see Xia Lingyan.

Xia Lingyan had captured Xue Linlang with impressive efficiency.

“No need. Keep him confined for now. I’ll speak with you later.” Ruan Zhi frowned.

Her tone was unguarded, and Xia Lingyan felt a chill seep into her skull, not daring to press further. She acknowledged Ruan Zhi’s order and fell silent.

Ruan Zhi walked toward the lake. Xia Lingyan watched her go, teeth clenched, expression dark.

What kind of spell had Gu Qingci cast on Ruan Zhi to make someone like her so protective?

She could send people to help, but she didn’t want to.

She hoped Gu Qingci would make an utter fool of herself!

As Ruan Zhi approached the lakeshore, Lian Rui—standing on a small boat—spotted her and signaled the boatman to row over.

“Madam, we found nothing—no traces, no signs. Should I fetch Manager Li and bring more people to search?” Lian Rui asked.

Ruan Zhi was about to respond when she heard the snort of a horse. Turning, she saw the Gu family carriage tied to a tree not far away, the horse pawing the ground excitedly.

“Not for now. I need to retrieve something from the carriage.” Ruan Zhi waved Lian Rui off and walked over to inspect.

The carriage curtain bore faint water stains. Nearby, reeds were crushed, and the ground showed damp footprints.

A suspicion formed in Ruan Zhi’s mind. She quickened her pace, reached the carriage, and lifted the curtain—only to immediately drop it again.

Her expression remained composed as she stepped away and returned to the lakeshore where Lian Rui waited.

“Lian Rui, summon the coachman at once. The item has been found—no further searching is needed. I’ll wait in the carriage. We’re returning to the estate.”

Once Lian Rui acknowledged the order, Ruan Zhi climbed back into the carriage.

Inside the cramped space, Gu Qingci huddled, soaked and shivering—not from cold, but from agony.

When she caught sight of Ruan Zhi, it was like seeing salvation—but the glimpse was so fleeting she wondered if it was a hallucination.

Regret gnawed at her. She’d underestimated this world’s strange and insidious tricks.

She hadn’t eaten or drunk anything, yet she’d still fallen into the trap.

This was worse than the nightly restlessness—more urgent, more desperate.

Her marking fangs ached, pheromones leaking uncontrollably.

Releasing pheromones here was like lighting a beacon in the dark—anyone searching would find her instantly.

Her only option had been to plunge into the lake.

Thankfully, she’d spotted their carriage by the shore. If she’d swum aimlessly, she might have drowned in this state.

Time crawled. Where had Ruan Zhi gone? When would she return?

Gu Qingci’s eyes burned as she stared at the carriage curtain—then, as if hearing her plea, it lifted again.

Ruan Zhi stepped inside.

“Madam…” Gu Qingci’s teeth chattered, her voice trembling. She wasn’t sure if this was another illusion.

Ruan Zhi settled into her seat, observing Gu Qingci—drenched, dark eyes glistening with innocence, the rims red, like a pitiful, waterlogged puppy.

With an inward sigh, Ruan Zhi flexed her fingers beneath her sleeves, then curled them tight.

“Why did you go to see Xue Linlang? Do you still have feelings for Xue Linhuan?” Her voice was soft, cool, edged with frost.

Though she didn’t fully believe Xia Lingyan’s words, Gu Qingci had met with the Xue siblings and fallen into their trap.

So even now, watching Gu Qingci suffer, Ruan Zhi kept her distance.

At the sound of Ruan Zhi’s voice, the faint bitterness of tea pheromones washing over her, Gu Qingci finally felt reality solidify—Ruan Zhi was here.

Her instincts screamed to pounce, marking fangs throbbing, body tensing like a predator eyeing prey.

She forced it all down.

With shaking hands, she pulled a bundle from her robes and placed it on the carriage floor.

The knot came undone, revealing gold hairpins and jade bracelets.

“These are yours. I got them back. From now on… I won’t let you lose anything again.” Her voice quivered.

Ruan Zhi stared at the items, momentarily stunned.

These were things she’d mentioned to Gu Qingci in passing.

She hadn’t expected her to reclaim them.

Ruan Zhi closed her eyes. Of course this woman was different.

“You nearly walked into a trap for these trinkets. Do you think this counts as merit? When something is returned unasked, there’s always a scheme. Did you think it was a gift?” Her tone sharpened with reproach.

Gu Qingci’s heart sank. She’d made Ruan Zhi angry again.

“Madam, I was wrong. As soon as I realized something was off, I ran. But… I don’t know what they used. I feel terrible.” Her voice wavered pitifully.

“Likely an incense—burning it induces lust. You must be cautious. There are countless methods you’ve never encountered. Next time, take attendants.” Ruan Zhi’s voice softened slightly.

“Understood. I’ll report to you before going anywhere from now on.” Gu Qingci nodded obediently.

“You dragged Xue Linhuan—a glaring target. Do you think fleeing meant no one saw you?” Ruan Zhi pressed, though the edge had left her voice.

“I climbed onto the roof first, then descended where fewer people were. I moved fast—no one noticed.”

“…” Ruan Zhi couldn’t fathom how Gu Qingci had scaled the roof, traversed it, and climbed down unnoticed. But here she was—proof enough.

“Where is Xue Linhuan? Did you mark her?” Ruan Zhi hesitated before asking.

She knew the incense’s potency. Last time, under its influence, even someone who despised her pheromones had lunged at her like a beast.

Gu Qingci seemed lucid now, but Ruan Zhi feared she’d already temporarily marked Xue Linhuan.

“No! I only want you. I’d never do that with another. I tied her to a willow by the lake, taught her a lesson, and made her swear silence. Madam, we must return—I can’t hold back much longer.”

Ruan Zhi exhaled, lifting the carriage curtain slightly. Outside, Lian Rui and the coachman were hurrying over.

“We’ll leave shortly.” She turned back to find Gu Qingci curled into a ball, arms wrapped tightly around herself, wretched with restraint.

Something in Ruan Zhi softened.

“Sit here.” She pointed to Gu Qingci’s usual spot in the carriage.

Gu Qingci shook her head, pressing deeper into the corner.

“Madam, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Ruan Zhi understood the feeling.

Gu Qingci was clearly holding back.

Here on the street, Ruan Zhi didn’t deliberately release pheromones to soothe her, but Gu Qingci’s sweet scent was already seeping through the dampness clinging to her.

Footsteps approached. Ruan Zhi lifted the curtain and saw Lian Rui and the coachman.

“Return to the estate at once.”

The journey from Fu Yun Restaurant to the Gu residence was brief—about the time it took to burn a stick of incense. Soon, the carriage rolled through the gates.

At the inner gate, where carriages couldn’t pass, Ruan Zhi instructed Lian Rui to fetch a cloak and prepare a sedan chair.

“Madam, don’t come near me.” As Ruan Zhi draped the cloak over Gu Qingci and moved to help her out, Gu Qingci shrank back.

She feared she’d pounce the moment they touched.

“The sedan is here. We must go—ride it to Xiuyi Garden.”

“I’ll manage.” Gu Qingci’s voice still shook. She waited for Ruan Zhi to exit first.

After a pause, Ruan Zhi stepped out.

A moment later, Gu Qingci emerged, swaying like a drunkard.

Once Gu Qingci was seated in the sedan, Ruan Zhi didn’t join her, merely directing the bearers to proceed.

“The lord is intoxicated. Sobering soup and bathwater are prepared.” Lian Rui informed her—everything arranged as instructed.

Ruan Zhi nodded and walked toward Xiuyi Garden.

Upon arrival, Gu Qingci first drank the “sobering soup”—a folk remedy Nanny Qin knew, said to slightly suppress rut symptoms.

Whether it worked was unclear.

Grimacing through the bitter liquid, Gu Qingci then bathed, scrubbing away the lake’s fishy stench and clinging algae before changing into clean sleep robes.

Now, at home, she could no longer restrain herself. Pheromones flooded the room.

The moment she stepped inside, Ruan Zhi felt as if a tidal wave had engulfed her.

Her long-dormant glands warmed faintly.

“Madam, can I… smell you? I’m in agony…” Gu Qingci didn’t approach where Ruan Zhi sat reading but curled on her usual daybed, pleading with red-rimmed eyes.

An omega’s pheromones could soothe an alpha’s rut—this much Gu Qingci had learned.

Though every instinct screamed to mark Ruan Zhi, she held back.

She refused to let her own desires override Ruan Zhi’s will—especially under the influence of this forced state.

Ruan Zhi was still upset about earlier.

Just a scent would suffice.

Ruan Zhi studied her. Had Gu Qingci approached and asked to mark her, she might not have refused.

But instead, the woman stayed put, gazing up like an obedient puppy trained since puppyhood—no matter how starved, it would never snatch meat from its master’s hand.

It would only take what was given.

If they divorced, would she ever find another alpha this docile?

Ruan Zhi didn’t know.

She exhaled, then released her pheromones—bitter top notes unfolding into rich sweetness on Gu Qingci’s tongue, drawing a soft moan as Gu Qingci sprawled across the daybed.

Wrapped in Ruan Zhi’s scent, the worst of the feverish ache eased.

But it wasn’t enough.

Like offering a crumb to a starving man—it didn’t satisfy, only sharpened the hunger.

Gu Qingci’s breaths grew ragged, her limbs twisting into the bedding.

A nearly inaudible sigh whispered through the air.

“Gu Qingci. Come here.”

Gu Qingci lifted her head—eyes glistening, face flushed.

“Mark me.” Ruan Zhi met her gaze, expression cool, almost impatient.

Gu Qingci didn’t know how she crossed the room, only that she was suddenly at the bedside, burying her face in Ruan Zhi’s neck, inhaling deeply.

The tea scent enveloped her—rich, intoxicating.

Bliss.

Ruan Zhi’s heart skipped. She closed her eyes, bracing for the familiar pain.

It never came.

Instead, a soft warmth pressed to her gland—lips, then a tongue tracing gently.

Ruan Zhi stiffened.

“Gu Qingci. What are you doing?”

“Madam, don’t fear. This is how an alpha properly marks an omega.” Gu Qingci murmured.

She wanted to sink her fangs in immediately.

But she held back.

She’d already displeased Ruan Zhi.

She wouldn’t risk further anger.

So she’d follow Wen Renyi’s teachings.

“No unnecessary acts!” Ruan Zhi’s eyes snapped shut.

Gu Qingci: “…%#￥&&%%￥￥￥”