Willing to Be for Her - Chapter 15

As if a divine decree had been issued, the black-topped sedan came to a stop before the wrought-iron gates.

Lan Leren stepped out of the passenger seat, approaching Luo Xuan with an apologetic smile. “Miss Luo Xuan, if you don’t mind, I’ll give you the wood.”

She turned to Luo Wei. “Miss Luo Wei, President Ning will select another gift for you.”

“My sister and I are family. Yi Qing is being too polite,” Luo Wei said with a radiant smile, her demeanor graceful and generous. “Luo Xuan, don’t you agree?”

“It’s indeed too polite. Miss Luo Wei doesn’t need to defer. I’ll simply buy the wood from President Ning for Luo Xuan.”

A seductive voice drifted from behind them. Xia Zhiwan swayed forward, her eyes curving into a charming smile.

The sedan’s sleek door opened again, revealing a woman in a minimalist black suit and matching shirt, the fabric exquisite, her presence commanding.

Luo Xuan gazed at Ning Yiqing, who returned her gaze. Or perhaps not. The woman’s amber eyes swirled with indifference, her movements precise and disciplined, more like a deity devoid of joy or sorrow than a human being.

“President Ning, what do you say? I’ll purchase the wood and gift it to Luo Xuan.”

“There’s no need for Miss Xia to trouble herself,” Luo Wei insisted. “If Yi Qing bought it for me, what harm is there in giving it to my sister?”

Ning Yiqing’s expression remained cold as she nodded slightly, turning to Luo Xuan. “The decision is yours.”

The pure, clean scent of white sandalwood subtly drifted into Luo Xuan’s nostrils once more.

Suddenly, she understood many things. A chill spread through her body, inch by inch, from her fingertips to her heart, to the very marrow of her bones.

From beginning to end, no one had asked her if she even wanted this gift. Yet everyone wore expressions of gratitude for the “benevolent favor” and “good fortune” bestowed upon her.

*Why would a gift meant for Luo Wei be transferred to me?* Luo Xuan felt a surge of anger for the first time. She stared steadily at the cold-faced woman and said, each word deliberate, “Ning Yiqing, I don’t need it.”

Watching the young woman walk away with Chi Li and Xia Zhiwan, Ning Yiqing’s brow furrowed slightly. After a moment’s pause, she returned to her car.

“President Ning, shouldn’t you call Miss Luo Xuan?” Lan Leren whispered.

The woman glanced at her dismissively. “We’ll discuss it later. Are the materials for tonight’s meeting prepared?”

Sensing the warning and coldness in that glance, Lan Leren lowered her head, regretting her impulsiveness. “President Ning, the government’s requested documents are ready. I’ve also prepared three doses of the high-potency inhibitor for you, but there’s a risk of drug resistance and adverse reactions.”

This biomedical project was the government’s top priority for future development. The Ning Group had chosen to collaborate with the government on this venture, and as the group’s leader, Ning Yiqing’s determination and strategic acumen were widely recognized.

This wasn’t just a new project; it was a critical political initiative, leaving no room for failure.

Waking again in the room lit by a nightlight, Luo Xuan found the air thick with the scent of cherries. Her eyelids felt hot as she gazed at the wooden furnishings.

It was the third day since the auction, and Ning Yiqing had still sent someone to bring her here.

They hadn’t seen each other in five days.

During those five days, she had consulted a doctor and learned she could undergo surgery soon, with roughly a fifty percent chance of improving her pheromone level.

Stumbling out of the second-floor bedroom, her body burned with intense emotion, her lips and tongue still stinging with the bitter aftertaste of bl00d.

Perhaps her heat cycle was approaching, exacerbating her physical pain. Manic highs and depressive lows took turns dominating her mood.

At night, the villa’s staff retired to the adjacent annex, leaving her alone in the desolate, immaculate space.

Weak and dazed, Luo Xuan slumped onto a high stool at the first-floor wet bar. She managed to switch on the crane-shaped floor lamp, but the sudden contact between her feverish fingers and the cold metal intensified her discomfort.

Wrapped in a saffron cashmere blanket, she dimmed the lamp to its softest, lowest setting.

She glanced at her small phone. The message interface was as barren as a parched desert, utterly empty.

“Ning Yiqing,” Luo Xuan murmured, her fingers gripping the cold water glass. The name rolled off her tongue repeatedly, as if she were savoring something bitter yet sweet.

Truth be told, she hadn’t been truly angry since that day. It was strange. She hated so many people, hated humanity itself, but when that woman called her “Star,” her heart softened inexplicably.

Luo Xuan went outside to turn on the crystal-woven lantern. Even if Ning Yiqing didn’t return, she wanted to leave a light for someone afraid of the dark.

The house was silent. Luo Xuan rubbed her burning eyes and listened to the rustling of leaves in the wind—the cherry trees in the villa’s courtyard, their foliage thick and lush.

She turned to see a woman standing beneath the trees, dressed in white and black, her radiance subdued yet undeniable. She stood as still as a timeless landscape painting, aloof and ethereal, a rare sight in this world.

Luo Xuan took a few steps forward, steadying herself with one hand on the dark green cigar sofa, trying to quell the dizzying, piercing pain that threatened to overwhelm her.

“Xiao Xuan, is that you?” Ning Yiqing’s voice carried a hint of urgency, her high-bunned black hair radiating the scent of White Sandalwood.

“It’s me,” Luo Xuan replied, unable to meet Ning Yiqing’s gaze. The woman was a goddess, a sovereign, the world’s most aloof moon, while Luo Xuan was merely a chaotic, fragmented, sickly creature, a monster who had stumbled into the human realm, lost and terrified.

Under the dim, yellow light, Ning Yiqing wore silver-rimmed glasses. Her skin, as white as jade, seemed fragile and flushed, shimmering with a dewy radiance.

“Are you Star?”

Luo Xuan realized something was amiss. The White Sandalwood scent was too intense, carrying a damp, lingering warmth, like a flower blooming deep in an autumn mountain, waiting to be plucked.

The Ning Yiqing she knew was always restrained and self-controlled. Even when tears had welled in her eyes, on the verge of losing control, her gaze had remained clear and detached, never revealing such unreserved tenderness and fervor.

An Alpha could never resist the pheromones of an Omega in heat, especially when the hierarchical gap was as vast as between an S and a C.

Luo Xuan’s mind grew hazy. Fearing something irreversible might happen, she struggled to reach for the suppressant, but Ning Yiqing pulled her back, whispering into her ear, her breath carrying the warm scent of White Sandalwood.

“Star, don’t go.”