Willing to Be for Her - Chapter 4

Catching sight of Ning Yiqing’s calm and composed demeanor, Qin Shiyi twirled a strand of her dark red, wavy hair, her crimson lips parting slightly. “Yi Qing, as fellow Omegas, you’re truly heartless. Compared to you, I’m just a little more sentimental. No wonder Old Master Ning chose you as his successor after such careful deliberation.”

Sensing Qin Shiyi’s deliberate teasing, Ning Yiqing brushed a stray petal from her sleeve.

Sunlight glinted off the thin silver rims of her glasses, obscuring her expression. Yet her natural air of nobility and a certain ruthless wisdom remained unmistakable.

Luo Xuan’s reply carried the unmistakable innocence of a child between the lines.

Even though Luo Xuan presented herself to the world like a kitten baring its claws, Ning Yiqing could still sense the romantic naivety beneath the surface.

Ning Yiqing, should we go together? But I still have things to finish. What are you doing right now?

I’m visiting a friend in the hospital. I have a product development meeting later. I’ll have someone pick you up afterward.

“Who are you texting so intently?” Qin Shiyi asked casually, glancing at the person lying in the hospital bed, who bore a striking resemblance to Luo Xuan.

“Luo Xuan,” Ning Yiqing replied.

“Yesterday, right before your fever… I saw a kiss mark, you know.”

Watching Ning Yiqing frown and lower his head, a flicker of emotion crossing his usually cold, pale face, Qin Shiyi burst into malicious laughter.

“Got you! So, beneath that proper suit lies something… unspeakable. Tsk, what does a little cub like Luo Xuan taste like? Those heterochromatic eyes of hers are stunning. She must have been quite the pleasure to serve you, hmm?”

Quickly regaining his composure, Ning Yiqing shot Qin Shiyi, the shameless woman, a warning glance, radiating an effortless air of authority.

An ordinary person would have been sweating bullets from fear, but Qin Shiyi, who had grown up alongside Ning Yiqing, remained unfazed and continued her questioning. “Did she mark you? Most Alphas can’t resist marking under the influence of S-Class pheromones—it must be excruciatingly uncomfortable to resist.”

“No, I made her wear a muzzle,” Ning Yiqing said, closing the hospital room window. Having fulfilled her duty to visit Luo Wei, she slowly walked out.

Watching the woman drape a long coat over her shoulders, her slender back silhouetted against the light, Qin Shiyi sighed. “You know how painful it is to have a mark rejected, right?”

A married Omega refusing even a temporary mark was no different from openly declaring, “I’ll fall for someone else later.”

Ning Yiqing’s expression remained indifferent.

“If Luo Xuan ever found out about this mess with you and Luo Wei, she’d probably tear the sky apart,” Qin Shiyi continued. “I heard the Luo family sent her to the countryside for seven or eight years. They despised her S-class pheromones, but they were even more afraid of that little madwoman causing another life-threatening incident.”

“I’m heading back to the company for a meeting. Are you staying here to gossip or taking a taxi home?” Ning Yiqing asked, pulling out an antique silver pocket watch. Her profile, with her long hair coiled at the side, was deep and aloof.

Qin Shiyi: “……”

At seven o’clock in the evening, in the Luo Family’s opulent living room, Qi Qingqing, Luo Xuan’s stepmother, beamed at Ning Yiqing.

“President Ning, please have some tea. We’ll soon be a real family, so please don’t stand on ceremony.”

The woman across from her, dressed in a black formal gown, sat regally on the leather sofa. Even a casual glance from her sent Qi Qingqing’s anxiety soaring.

“Auntie, please don’t be so formal. You can call me Yi Qing, like the family elders do.”

Qi Qingqing nodded with a forced smile, but she couldn’t bring herself to say “Yi Qing.” Despite Ning Yiqing’s gentle demeanor, Qi Qingqing felt an invisible pressure—the woman’s innate nobility and dignity that forbade any familiarity.

The housekeeper, Aunt Zhou, approached slowly and said respectfully, “Madam, it’s already 7:10, and the Third Miss hasn’t arrived yet.”

“That Luo Xuan is so thoughtless,” Qi Qingqing thought. “I’ll go find her.” She was relieved that her own daughter’s injuries were healing, meaning her daughter’s marriage to Ning Yiqing would soon proceed.

“You’re the hostess. Let me wait for Xiao Xuan at the entrance,” Ning Yiqing said politely, rising to her feet. Her tone was gentle but firm, stopping Qi Qingqing from moving.

In a corner of the garden, Luo Xuan crouched on a relatively clean stone slab, teasing a calico cat. Beside her, a small, bare white flower swayed in the breeze.

Suddenly, she heard a rhythmic series of footsteps. Immediately, she scooped up the kitten and tucked it protectively against her chest, startled to see a woman with cascading black hair approaching through the fallen leaves.

Caught off guard and flustered, Luo Xuan didn’t have time to speak. The fluffy ponytail behind her head brushed against her neck, tickling her skin.

Noticing the equally alert and adorable kitten in Luo Xuan’s arms, Ning Yiqing’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “Xiao Xuan, is this your kitten?”

“Nian Nian is a stray from around here. I’ve been secretly keeping her in my mother’s botanical garden. Aunt Zhou helps me feed her.”

*Mother?*

Ning Yiqing knew Luo Xuan was referring to her deceased mother.

Besides cat food, Nian Nian’s bowl also contained fresh shrimp and fish. Ning Yiqing observed that while Luo Xuan maintained a cold, aloof demeanor toward most people, she showed genuine tenderness toward animals.

“Nian Nian, Nian Nian has fish,” Ning Yiqing said, crouching down and stroking the kitten’s chin with her slender fingers. “How about we take Nian Nian home with us? Then you can care for her every day.”

The dusty gray kitten began purring contentedly against Ning Yiqing’s hand.

As the woman’s elegant fragrance swirled around her, Luo Xuan realized how close they were—so close that if she tilted her head, she could almost kiss Ning Yiqing’s cool, soft lips.

She desperately wanted to say yes, but the thought of her frail health, which would prevent her from fulfilling the responsibilities of being a proper owner, held her back.

“No need,” Luo Xuan murmured, lowering her gaze and hesitantly refusing Ning Yiqing. “My health is poor. If I have an episode, I won’t have time to care for it.”

Sensing Luo Xuan’s awkwardness, Ning Yiqing didn’t press the matter. She gently stroked the girl’s soft, fluffy hair. “Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

She naturally took Luo Xuan’s hand, forcing the girl to exert tremendous effort to suppress her heart’s frantic, joyful pounding.

Luo Xuan had grown accustomed to shying away from all things beautiful, convinced that such luxuries were beyond the reach of a patient like her.

Yet here was the woman beside her, holding her hand.

The long mahogany table was set with complete sets of silver cutlery, and dishes flowed onto the table like a river: roasted lamb chops, roast chicken, black caviar, tomato basil soup…

Though billed as a meal between two families, the actual gathering was small.

Luo Xuan’s father, stepmother, and grandfather were present, while the Ning family was represented by Ning Yiqing and her younger sister, Ning Yixin.

When the elders noticed Luo Xuan’s late arrival, they frowned in unison, as if about to reprimand her for lacking proper decorum.

But Ning Yiqing, holding Luo Xuan’s hand with a gentle yet firm expression, deterred them from voicing their disapproval.

Qi Qingqing’s eyes burned holes into the pair’s tightly clasped hands, her gaze practically scorching the air between them.

This should all have belonged to her daughter, Luo Wei.

She and Ning Yiqing had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, their bond deep and enduring. If Luo Wei hadn’t been in that car accident, and if the Luo Family hadn’t been so eager to secure their partnership with the Ning Group through marriage, Luo Xuan would never have stood a chance.

Ning Yiqing was an S-Class Omega, the heir to a centuries-old aristocratic clan. Her beauty was breathtaking, her power absolute. Luo Xuan, a sickly invalid, could never measure up.

Fortunately, Luo Xuan, being so frail, wouldn’t live past twenty-one. This brief time was merely the last flicker of her fading life.

Meanwhile, Luo Xuan greeted everyone with detached politeness. When she felt Ning Yiqing release her hand, the sudden emptiness in her palm made her pause for a moment.

As they sat down to eat, the room fell silent, even the clinking of silverware barely audible.

The dessert served was strawberry cake. Seeing Luo Xuan’s discomfort, Qi Qingqing smirked inwardly.

“Yi Qing, we’re counting on you to take good care of Luo Xuan. Her pheromone level is low—will that cause you any trouble?”

Hearing Qi Qingqing’s words, Luo Xuan gritted her teeth, unable to refute the truth. After all, Qi Qingqing was right: from head to toe, she was no match for Ning Yiqing.

Still, even stolen happiness was happiness.

Qi Qingqing, strutting like a triumphant rooster, continued, “Yi Qing, your parents didn’t attend the banquet. Are they dissatisfied with our Luo Xuan?”

This was a well-known fact between the two families, yet Qi Qingqing deliberately brought it up publicly.

“We’ve never been particularly close,” Ning Yiqing replied calmly, her gaze unreadable. “Sometimes even during New Year’s, we’re busy with our own affairs.”

After circling back to Ning Yiqing to feign intimacy, Qi Qingqing abruptly shifted her focus to Luo Xuan.

“Luo Xuan, how’s your graduation preparation going? Grandpa has arranged for you to work at our family’s company. Don’t follow your mother’s path with that pointless woodcarving art—it has no future.”

At this, Luo Xuan set down her silver chopsticks. Her pale complexion, mismatched green-gold eyes, and icy, rebellious expression sent a shiver down Qi Qingqing’s spine.

“Don’t mention my mother,” Luo Xuan said, her eyes half-lidded. “Are you really so confident about me working at the company?”

The Luo family members’ faces paled at her words, clearly recalling some unpleasant past incident. Only Luo Xuan’s grandfather intervened with diplomatic remarks, allowing the banquet to continue.

After the meal, Luo Xuan’s grandfather and Ning Yiqing retreated to the study to discuss upcoming joint projects between the two families.

When Ning Yiqing emerged, Ning Yixin was leaning against the corridor wall, watching her with a casual air.

“Sis, are you really going to marry Luo Wei?” Ning Yixin frowned, her expression concerned. “You’re joking, right?”

Ning Yiqing adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses with one hand, her tone calm. “Who told you that?”

“Auntie mentioned it. Sis, is there something you’re not telling me? Is Grandpa forcing you?”

“There’s no hidden reason. I agreed myself,” Ning Yiqing said, her gaze softening as she looked at her sister. “Just focus on doing what you love.”

“But what about you, Sis? Don’t you have someone you love, something you’re passionate about?”

Ning Yiqing removed the snow-blue Buddhist prayer beads from her wrist and re-wrapped them around it. “One must learn to let go of what’s unimportant.”

“So love isn’t important? Only the Ning Family’s power, wealth, and centuries of glory matter?” Ning Yixin’s heart ached. This was the sister she admired and revered, the one who always did the right thing, never making mistakes.

“Go home now. Pack extra clothes for your studies abroad,” Ning Yiqing said, hearing the intermittent sounds of arguing from downstairs, including what sounded like Luo Xuan’s voice.

“Sis, can’t you be a little nicer to Luo Xuan?”

After beating around the bush for so long, Ning Yixin finally revealed her true feelings. She looked at her sister with unwavering seriousness, determined to make her point clear.

“Are you close to Luo Xuan?”

“I really like the wood carvings Luo Xuan makes.”

Stopping at the foot of the second-floor stairs, Ning Yiqing frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“Ahem, Luo Xuan’s wood carvings are exceptionally beautiful. But her reputation at school is terrible. Many students avoid her, saying she’s sick and contagious, and that someone as pretty as her must be a kept woman.”

Ning Yixin was about to continue when Qi Qingqing’s shrill voice cut through the air:

“Luo Xuan, you think I won’t have my father bulldoze your botanical garden? Your mother’s already dead—what’s stopping me from…”

“I told you never to mention my mother,” Luo Xuan said, her white school uniform and a few stray strands of black hair framing her face, giving her a lingering air of childishness. Beneath her slightly raised lashes, a pair of icy eyes glinted. “If you dare touch it, I won’t hesitate to lock you up until you die again. Consider it true revenge for my mother.”

Qi Qingqing instinctively recoiled, remembering how ten-year-old Luo Xuan had once locked her and her husband in a room for an entire day.

This child had wanted to starve them to death. She stood outside the door, listening to their cries for help, a smile on her face as she played *Fruit Ninja* on her phone.

After that, Qi Qingqing couldn’t even bear to hear the game’s slicing sound effects.

The girl before them had a delicate, beautiful face, but her eyes were those of a demon. They had mistaken her for a docile lamb, when in reality she was a monster from the depths of hell.

Qi Qingqing had been about to back down, but when she caught sight of Ning Yiqing’s figure, she thought, *With Luo Xuan’s rotten personality, she’s bound to make Ning Yiqing dislike her. I need to seize this opportunity.*

“Luo Xuan, Mom thought you locked Dad and me in the room by accident when you were little. I never imagined it was deliberate,” Qi Qingqing burst into tears. “You nearly starved us to death that time. Is this how you repay your parents?”

The atmosphere grew tense. Ning Yixin’s eyes widened in shock, completely unaware of this dark secret within the Luo Family. She had only ever heard people say that Luo Xuan’s stepmother was her aunt, but now it sounded like there was a hidden agenda.

At that moment, Luo Xuan’s father, Luo Guoren, emerged with a dark expression. “You rebellious, unfilial wretch! You’ve been incorrigible since childhood!”

Luo Xuan saw Ning Yiqing and subtly avoided his gaze, murmuring, “Like father, like daughter. With a father who cheats on his wife, what good could I possibly be?”

Luo Guoren, struck by the truth of his infidelity, pointed at Luo Xuan, speechless with rage. Qi Qingqing hurriedly patted his chest to calm him down, while still managing a placating smile for Ning Yiqing.

“Yi Qing, you see how difficult Luo Xuan’s personality is? She’s like a little monster. Marrying her must be so hard on you.”

“Not at all,” Ning Yiqing replied coldly, his eyes betraying weariness as he watched the farcical scene unfold. “It’s getting late. I’ll take Xiao Xuan and leave now. We won’t trouble you any further.”

Leaving the Luo family to exchange awkward glances, Ning Yiqing draped his coat over his shoulders and led Luo Xuan out, just as they had entered.

By the time they left the Luo family mansion, it was nearly ten o’clock. The Capital City still glittered with lights, its streets bustling with activity, resembling a city that never sleeps.

In the back seat of the Bentley, Luo Xuan stared out the window, her head bowed. The neon signs that flashed past illuminated her beautiful, clear features, but instead of adding vibrancy, they seemed to deepen the shadows around her, making the night feel even darker.

Back at the villa, Luo Xuan walked ahead of Ning Yiqing, wanting to avoid facing her. She quickened her pace, but the woman suddenly called out to her.

“Xiao Xuan, why didn’t you argue with them back then?” Ning Yiqing considerately stepped past Luo Xuan and led the way to the second-floor terrace, where rattan furniture was arranged.

Under the starlit night sky, the woman’s slender, graceful figure seemed to radiate an unexpectedly approachable allure.

Noticing Luo Xuan’s stiff posture, Ning Yiqing prepared a cup of mint-infused water and called out again, “Xiao Xuan, come here.”

Three mint leaves, a slice of lemon, and warm water at 45 degrees Celsius instantly plunged Luo Xuan into the gentle vortex she had longed for day and night.

“I’m used to it. Arguing with them is so boring. I don’t want to waste my energy on that,” Luo Xuan said, sensing a different atmosphere and feeling a little nervous.

During the day, Ning Yiqing exuded gentle elegance, yet her regal bearing inspired both awe and fascination, making any thought of disrespect unthinkable.

Yet her beauty was so captivating, like the noble moonlight in the dark night—cool, refined, and aloof—that it drew people irresistibly closer, even if it meant being consumed by flames.

Ning Yiqing leaned against the antique, luxurious bookshelf, a subtle difference from the composed, ascetic woman Luo Xuan had known before.

“Why does your stepmother want to destroy the botanical garden?”

“Because of my mother, I think,” Luo Xuan replied, realizing she had been staring at Ning Yiqing for too long and quickly averted her gaze. “Keeping these old things would remind them of their shameful past.”

“And it’s connected to you and your mother, isn’t it?”

Perhaps Ning Yiqing was an excellent listener, or perhaps Luo Xuan simply craved the tenderness that seemed unique to this woman. With her head bowed, Luo Xuan began to recount her past.

“When I fell ill, my pheromone levels plummeted from S. Grandpa and the others wanted to send me to relatives in the countryside, but my mother refused. Defying their objections, she braved the wind and snow to bring me home.”

“The blizzard that day was fierce. With each step she took, the snow reached above her knees,” Luo Xuan said, forcing a smile to mask her trembling. “She carried me back to the city and raised me alone. Later, she became gravely ill.”

This slender, frail woman had carried her, step by step, out of that snow-covered wasteland that symbolized death.

That was why her mother’s illness had worsened.

“Is it because you don’t like strawberries?”

Luo Xuan looked up, surprised by Ning Yiqing’s perceptiveness. She noticed the woman had removed her glasses, revealing gentle warmth in her narrow, beautiful eyes.

Turning her head away, Luo Xuan felt her eyes growing moist.

“My relatives’ children in the countryside didn’t like me. They ganged up and forced rotten strawberries into my mouth, one by one, until I swallowed them. Then I threw up for hours.”

Her hands were forcibly pinned down, her mouth filled with decaying strawberries, her breathing blocked, and she retched until she was dizzy and nauseous.

“Ning Yiqing, do you also think I’m bad? Like the monster they called me?”

With a soft sigh, Ning Yiqing slowly walked over to Luo Xuan, crouched down, and looked up at her.

She had always found it strange how romanticism, aloofness, confusion, and the stubborn, untamed traces of her upbringing could coexist in Luo Xuan. It was absurd and fragmented, yet it revealed a unique innocence and childlike naivety.

“No,” Ning Yiqing said softly, meeting Luo Xuan’s gaze. “Star is a very kind child.”

“Your mother and I both know that Star will protect the botanical garden she left behind and take care of the kittens. How could you be a bad child?”

Hearing her childhood nickname again so suddenly, Luo Xuan felt as if no time had passed at all. She barely had time to wonder how Ning Yiqing knew her nickname.

Her mother had told her she was born on a night filled with stars, which is why her nickname was Star.

After her mother passed away, she believed no one would ever call her Star with such tenderness again.

She had stubbornly acted like a robot for so long, her hardened metal making her invincible. But someone had finally discovered that her parts were long worn out, battery fluid dripping steadily onto the floor.

Seeing the child, who had always brandished sharp claws, with reddened eyes and a faint, sweet smile, Ning Yiqing’s heart stirred slightly.

“I love stargazing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have built a Starry Sky Room. It’s just a pity the city is too tall here, and the stars are too few.”

*Starry Sky Room?* So that transparent glass structure above the villa’s top floor was for stargazing.

Luo Xuan felt like she had uncovered a momentous secret, her heart racing and releasing dopamine and endorphins.

“Can you hardly see any stars here?”

Ning Yiqing slowly and deliberately wiped his jade-like fingers, a simple gesture that somehow seemed inexplicably pleasing to the eye. “The best stargazing is in the countryside at night. It’s easier to see celestial bodies through a telescope there.”

“Ning Yiqing, is your dream to see the stars?” Luo Xuan asked childishly and directly.

The woman’s eyes deepened, and after a moment’s hesitation, she said casually, “Mm, I once dreamed of traveling the world, but ultimately, I wanted to settle in the far north and gaze at the stars endlessly.”

“Wow, watching stars in the far north must be so lonely,” Luo Xuan said, her eyes sparkling with bright longing. “But it must be incredibly beautiful too. Having such a dream is truly remarkable.”

Ning Yiqing’s heart gave a slight tremor, but she suppressed her smile, her gaze softening further.

The balcony fell silent until a sudden downpour of rain began to pelt them mercilessly, soaking them to the bone in an instant.

They fled back to the bathroom, where the warm yellow light flushed Luo Xuan’s pale face crimson. Her drenched school uniform clung stubbornly, and Ning Yiqing’s cold lips brushed against her neck as she unbuttoned the third button.

The woman’s face, now even paler and softer from the water, framed Ning Yiqing’s strikingly aloof features—her noble, restrained, and ascetic air. She possessed a quality that made it too easy to fall in love with her and entrust her with one’s heart.

So many were drawn to her like moths to a flame, even knowing their devotion would be fleeting, like a fleeting glimpse of beauty in a mirror.

Against the cold tile wall, their two pale, slender bodies pressed together. The warm rain intensified overhead, matting their hair and sealing their skin together, cherry and white sandalwood melding seamlessly, leaving no space between them.

A sweet fragrance filled the air between the woman’s lips, her tongue tip peeking out, pressing against her lips, a watery crimson that shimmered with seductive light.

Then, she carefully fastened the bite guard onto Luo Xuan.

Exhausted, she leaned against Luo Xuan once more, like a noble, aloof celestial being fallen into a swirling vortex of earthly desires.

An overwhelming tenderness bloomed within Luo Xuan, like vines tightening around her fingers, one by one.

For the first time, Luo Xuan embraced the soft, jade-like body in her arms. The secret flower of her unrequited love stirred in her chest, yearning to bloom, as if this affection might finally be reciprocated.

“Ning Yiqing,” Luo Xuan murmured, lying back on the bed, carefully suppressing her elation. “I want to take you somewhere tomorrow. Would you like that?”

“Yes,” Ning Yiqing replied, her voice languid and seductive with satisfaction. “I have the day off tomorrow. I can keep you company.”

Luo Xuan reined in her impulse to push further, her heart brimming with contentment.

This was enough.

But in the middle of the night, Ning Yiqing’s phone suddenly rang. Luo Xuan vaguely heard fragments—”hospital,” “car accident,” “awake”—before drifting back to sleep.

When she woke the next morning to a sunlit room, she found a note Ning Yiqing had left by her pillow:

Sorry, something came up. I’ll make it up to you next time.