Chapter 46

Everyone knew about the ambiguous relationship between Qiao Yu and Ye Yunjian. Seeing Ye Yunjian's cold and displeased expression, they immediately released Qiao Yu like startled birds and beasts, stepping back and leaving her to the aggressive woman. In the blink of an eye, she was alone and helpless, facing Ye Yunjian. She couldn't help but inwardly curse these idiots who abandoned her in their time of need.

She cracked her knuckles and said, feigning composure, "It's them."

Pointing to a group of beautiful women behind her, Qiao Yu shifted the blame without a trace of guilt, saying, "They wanted to play with the alphas and strengthen their bond."

Her face was full of innocence. "I'm sick today, so I was just following along and joining in the fun."

Upon hearing this, one of the EGAs, harboring her own thoughts, mustered up the courage to ask Ye Yunjian, "Do you want to come along?" Worried that Ye Yunjian might disagree, the girl added, "Yuyu helped me arrange a lot of Alphas, and we've already made plans to meet them tonight. We can't break our promise."

"A lot?" Ye Yunjian repeated softly, emphasizing each word.

Qiao Yu felt bitter inside. Ye Yunjian leaned down slightly, staring into her eyes with a forced smile, and said, "Weren't you sick?"

"Yes, but it's much better now." Qiao Yu replied with a forced smile, not daring to speak again easily, afraid of accidentally angering the woman. Qiao Yu looked like a pitiful little thing cornered with nowhere to escape, completely lacking in spirit. Seeing her weak and helpless appearance, the girl who had spoken earlier said again, "Aunt Ye, it's getting late, we should go."

She paused, then asked cautiously, "Are you still going?"

"Go, why not?" Ye Yunjian slowly raised his eyelids and said unhurriedly, "It's a good opportunity for me to see what kind of skills these young alphas have these days."

A gentle smile suddenly appeared on her face, and even her voice softened. "I hope it won't disappoint me in the end."

Qiao Yu dared not utter a sound.

The hotel's ballroom was almost entirely filled with alphas. When Qiao Yu posted on her WeChat Moments that many ega (extraordinary alphas) ​​would be coming to party that day, 99% of the alphas showed up. It's well-known that Qiao Yu has a large social circle; her friends are all wealthy and influential, each from a privileged background. Whether or not she finds a partner today, making more friends is always a good thing.

As more and more alphas flooded into the dance hall, the atmosphere around them instantly became tense and ready to explode.

Rivals are bound to be fiercely competitive when they meet, especially since Qiao Yu arranged for dozens of them at once. On the surface, they maintained the gentlemanly demeanor expected of men, but behind the scenes, they were already secretly vying for dominance.

None of the other EGAs dared to ride in the same car as Ye Yunjian. Ye Yunjian was intimidating and showed no intention of being friendly to the EGAs. Thus, Qiao Yu was ruthlessly pushed out to become Ye Yunjian's offering. Qiao Yu sighed repeatedly, lamenting her poor choice of friends.

Ye Yunjian sat quietly in his chair with his legs crossed, his aura unfathomable.

Qiao Yu unconsciously shifted slightly to the side, then shifted again. Her movements were very subtle, like a frog being slowly boiled in water; under normal circumstances, they would certainly go unnoticed. However, in the enclosed and suffocatingly quiet space, every slight movement was exceptionally clear.

With each step the other person took, the fragrance at the tip of the nose faded, until finally, the scent was almost completely gone.

She had already moved quite far, but was still not satisfied, as if she wanted to become one with the car door, far away from him. Ye Yunjian could no longer bear it, and suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, which was so delicate that it could break with a twist, his dark eyes staring at her without moving, "Am I that scary?"

With his other hand hooking around her slender waist, Ye Yunjian exerted a little force, and the fragrant body returned to his side, fitting snugly against hers.

Ye Yunjian narrowed his eyes and lunged at Qiao Yu without warning, "Are you that afraid of me?"

The woman, radiating a chilling aura, suddenly approached, her strong arms binding her like steel, giving her no room to move. Forced against the woman's fine coat, Qiao Yu caught a faint scent of sandalwood emanating from Ye Yunjian. It wasn't strong, but it unexpectedly made her heart race.

Qiao Yu was startled, and her cheeks unconsciously turned slightly red. "N-nothing."

It's not so much fear as an instinctive aversion and avoidance towards alphas, which she can't avoid. This fear wasn't so obvious before, but since her differentiation, she occasionally feels a dry mouth and weak legs whenever she sees a strong and powerful alpha like Ye Yunjian or Bai Yiyu.

Just like now, the faint pheromones emanating from Ye Yunjian made her almost afraid to look him in the eye.

The close proximity made her uneasy, and Qiao Yu tried to move but couldn't break free; instead, she was held even tighter. Her restlessness displeased the woman, whose dark eyes deepened further. Ye Yunjian's voice was so low it seemed to escape from the depths of his throat, "Don't move."

The soft, tender skin was right in his palm, and beneath his fingertips was a warm, delicate sensation. As the other person's warm and moist breath fell upon him, Ye Yunjian's breathing became uncontrollably heavier.

Qiao Yu gently bit her lip and instantly became obedient.

After a while, Ye Yunjian slowly released her, regaining his calm and composed demeanor, but warned her, "Sit here and don't go anywhere."

As if afraid she might change her mind and run away, Ye Yunjian leaned over and pulled the seatbelt over to fasten her. The faint pheromones lingered around her nose. Ye Yunjian paused, then her movements suddenly quickened. After fastening the seatbelt, she pulled away without lingering for even a moment.

Ye Yunjian leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to rest. Qiao Yu secretly glanced at her twice to make sure she didn't make any other moves, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

She subtly adjusted to a more comfortable position, but stopped abruptly when she noticed the woman next to her opening her eyes. She remained motionless until things finally calmed down, then carefully leaned back and idly played with her phone.

She was engrossed in her game and didn't notice that the woman had already opened her eyes and was looking at her.

Qiao Yu was dressed simply today, wearing a white shirt and vest, paired with a very short pleated skirt, her two slender legs glowing white. Perhaps she had been chilled for a moment when she got on the bus, as her knees were slightly red, but it didn't detract from her beauty; on the contrary, it made her look even more unintentionally alluring.

Ye Yunjian has seen countless people and is surrounded by beautiful or sexy women, but the young girl has the advantage of age and expresses the purity, shyness and allure of a young girl to the fullest. Not only does she not arouse people's disgust, but she also makes people want to peek a little more.

After EVA differentiated, it was as if she had been given an aphrodisiac, always unconsciously making her feel a tingling sensation in her heart.

Ye Yunjian took a breath and turned his head, but the other person's fragrant scent wafted into his nose again, once again impacting the string of reason in his mind.

The woman endured immense suffering throughout the journey.

Qiao Yu sat next to Ye Yunjian, not daring to move or speak. Maintaining the same position for so long had left her body aching and she was suffering terribly. Just as she was feeling distressed about living in Ye Yunjian's shadow, Ye Yunjian, unusually, didn't make things difficult for her anymore.

Not only did they not make things difficult for her, they even kept their distance from her, as if they were trying to avoid her at all costs.

With her arms crossed and a puzzled frown, Qiao Yu couldn't help but lean closer and say in a sweet voice, "Oh, Aunt Ye, wait for me!"

The tall figure ahead froze for a moment, but didn't slow her pace; in fact, she seemed to be fleeing in panic. Qiao Yu blinked, her smile turning wicked. She raised her voice, softening it further, "Aunt Ye!"

The little girl's voice suddenly became so sweet it sent chills down Ye Yunjian's spine. She paused, closed her eyes briefly, then stopped and turned around expressionlessly. Seeing her stop, Qiao Yu smiled even more brightly, "Thank you, Auntie, you're so kind."

She quickly followed, then tentatively grabbed the other person's sleeve. Seeing that the other person didn't shake her off, she pressed closer to her, saying, "Aunt Ye, I'm cold."

She spoke up mischievously, in a pitiful tone, "How about Aunt Ye hugs me like you did just now?"

Ye Yunjian knew perfectly well that she was doing it on purpose. A cryptic smile appeared on his calm face, and before Qiao Yu could react, Ye Yunjian had already taken off his coat and wrapped it around her, then picked her up in his arms.

Qiao Yu exclaimed in surprise, but before she could say anything, Ye Yunjian lowered his smiling eyes and looked at her, "Is this warm enough?"

"That's enough, that's enough." Qiao Yu was still shaken and terrified.

Noticing the stares from passersby, Qiao Yu blushed slightly. Behind her were her acquaintances, and in front of her were familiar hotel staff. Qiao Yu couldn't imagine the consequences if Ms. Qiao found out about this, so she quickly buried her face in Ye Yunjian's shoulder. "Aunt Ye, don't get cold, let's go quickly."

Upon hearing this, the woman walked much slower, saying, "Alphas aren't afraid of the cold."

She moved slower than a snail, and Qiao Yu had no choice but to bury her head even deeper to avoid being seen by anyone she knew.

However, Ye Yunjian didn't go too far. Qiao Yu's legs were exposed to the air and were red from the cold. Worried that she was uncomfortable, Ye Yunjian symbolically punished her twice and then stopped. Noticing that the other party's pace was gradually quickening, Qiao Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not advisable to try to outshine the older women in terms of shamelessness," she told the system.

The system dismissed the suggestion, saying, "Host, you're not exactly shameless. If we really have to argue, it's not certain who will win or lose."

Qiao Yu: "..." Here's five cents, go be a system for another host.

A group of EGAs walked by, chatting and laughing. Jiang Mei involuntarily stopped, her gaze drawn to the tall, imposing figure at the front. The person was carrying someone in their arms; although her face was obscured, the lines of their legs were exceptionally beautiful.

Especially her slender, white ankles, which looked exactly like the person she longed for day and night in her midnight dreams.

Noticing her pause, Lu Shenghui turned around calmly, and Jiang Mei immediately lowered her head, her light-colored lips pressed tightly into a straight line.

After the EGAs left, Jiang Mei quickly caught up with Lu Shenghui. Today they were going to meet Lu's raw material suppliers. Last week, the suppliers suddenly stopped working, causing the company a loss of billions of yuan. Lu Shenghui had brought her along today only because one of the suppliers happened to have a daughter of marriageable age.

Lu Shenghui has always been driven by self-interest, a fact she has already come to deeply understand during this period.

Upon arriving at the ballroom entrance, Qiao Yu struggled to jump down from Ye Yunjian's arms, intending to return his coat to him. However, Ye Yunjian looked at her and said indifferently, "Put it on your lap."

Qiao Yu glanced down at her legs instinctively, then shook her head and refused, "No need, there's heating here, I'm not cold."

Ye Yunjian still didn't reach out to take the clothes back, but instead turned around and grabbed a bottle of wine. Qiao Yu was afraid that Ye Yunjian would tie her to his side again, so she hurriedly squeezed into the crowd in the EGA, "Make way, make way, leave me a seat."

After finally finding a spot where Ye Yunjian couldn't get in, Qiao Yu's heart finally settled down.

Ye Yunjian wasn't unaware of Qiao Yu's ulterior motives, but pushing her too hard wouldn't benefit either of them. Slowly sipping his wine, Ye Yunjian spent a considerable amount of time speculating about how easily Qiao Yu's pheromones had influenced him that day.

Previously, she was almost never affected by Ega's pheromones, except when he was in his heat cycle.

Whether it's a sweet or alluring pheromone, she can remain unmoved and unswayed.

But Qiao Yu was clearly different from all the previous situations. Even the slightest trace of scent was enough to make her teeter on the edge of losing her senses. That vague feeling of losing control was both unsettling and incredibly novel.

She is usually rational and rarely feels this way, driven by her body's instincts to want to indulge herself.

After carefully savoring the other person's fragrant body, Ye Yunjian discovered an even more cruel truth: the other person's pheromones were addictive to her.

Once you've tasted it, you'll never want to forget it, and you can't forget it.

Qiao Yu glanced at Ye Yunjian several times, but the other woman remained motionless with her back turned. After a while, she lowered her guard and happily chatted with her new best friend, whom she felt she had known for a long time. Just as they were getting into the conversation, someone nudged her lightly with their elbow, "Hey, look, isn't that Lu Shenghui's illegitimate daughter?"

Reflexively looking up, Qiao Yu saw Jiang Mei walking in with a girl, her expression indifferent.

The dance hall was bustling with people, and the other party didn't notice them at first. After not seeing her for a long time, the female lead seemed to have become a different person, even colder and more aloof than when Qiao Yu first met her. She exuded an aura of being difficult to get along with, and the girl next to her was almost crying with grievance.

Even though she stared at Jiang Mei through teary eyes, Jiang Mei's expression did not change in the slightest.

"Why would she go back to the Lu family for no reason? Isn't Lu Shangyi a good example? Lu Shenghui is such a paranoid man, who knows when he might go crazy and push her into the abyss, making it impossible for her to climb out for the rest of her life."

"To be Lu Shenghui's daughter, you really need to have a strong mentality."

"But the Lu family has such a high status. Once she returns to the Lu family, she'll have everything. What's wrong with suffering a little? She was bullied so badly by her relatives before. Do you think her relatives would dare to cause her trouble now? Besides, the entire Lu family will be hers in the future. What more could she want?"

After a long silence, someone shook their head and said, "Being Lu Shenghui's daughter isn't so easy."

Qiao Yu looked at the female lead's aloof appearance and felt a little complicated. She had finally managed to warm the female lead's heart, but she never expected that in just over a month, Lu Shenghui would turn her back to her original state, and even become more gloomy.

EGA, who was next to Jiang Mei, said several things in succession. This time, she finally lowered her eyes, her clear black and white eyes devoid of any emotion. "I'm sorry."

Ega looked dejected, but still refused to give up. She forced a nonchalant smile and pointed to the side. Jiang Mei didn't refuse, and the two of them quickly disappeared from the dance hall, seemingly heading towards the coffee shop next door.

Qiao Yu looked away and frowned. Was the female lead being abused by the crazy man?

Otherwise, why would his temperament change so drastically?

The topic quickly shifted, and Qiao Yu stared blankly at her phone. The screen was still showing the message she had sent to Jiang Mei two weeks ago; so many days had passed, and the other party still hadn't replied. She glanced in the direction Jiang Mei had left, but before she could think further, she was pulled over to join the group.

Today, we weren't playing cards for money, just Truth or Dare. Qiao Yu held her cards for a long time and quickly lost a hand. After hesitating for a moment, she decisively chose Truth. At first, everyone was relatively mild-mannered, but later they got more and more aggressive, and the stakes got higher and higher.

Ye Yunjian glanced over casually at the commotion behind him. The girl had already taken off her vest and tossed it aside. Her loose white shirt almost completely covered her pleated skirt, making it seem as if she wasn't wearing any clothes on her lower body, with only her two slender legs exposed to the air. A pack of alpha wolves were staring at her like hungry dogs, but the girl herself was completely oblivious, holding a deck of cards and smiling brightly.

Qiao Yu was bad at cards and lost at least five times in ten rounds. The people at the card table exchanged knowing glances and decided to bully her.

After losing another round, Qiao Yu angrily threw her cards onto the table, pushed back her chair, and stood up, saying, "I'm not playing anymore!"

"No, please." The alpha at the card table quickly coaxed her, "Play one last time, maybe you'll win." Changing the subject, the alpha returned to the main point, "You should choose dare this time, you already chose truth last round."

The alphas made no attempt to hide their thoughts, staring intently at the girl as if they wanted to devour her whole.

Ye Yunjian's brow twitched twice. He put down his wine, stood up, strode to the card table, and sat down. "I'll owe you for now." With a nonchalant lift of his eyelids, Ye Yunjian raised his chin and commanded domineeringly, "Shuffle the cards."

"This..." The alphas looked at each other in dismay. Ye Yunjian was an elder who was even older than their parents. How could they dare to play with her? Whether they won or lost, they would not gain anything.

Seeing this, Ye Yunjian smiled gently, "If any of you can beat me today," he said, taking out a check and pushing it to the center. Ye Yunjian smiled kindly, "this five million is his."

Five million is a considerable sum for people their age, and the people at the table suddenly became breathless. Qiao Yu hesitated for a moment, "Aunt Ye, let me play." If she lost several rounds like she did, she would have given away tens of millions.

What a waste!

Upon hearing this, Ye Yunjian narrowed his eyes and looked at her, his tone devoid of emotion, "I'll settle the score with you after we finish playing cards."

Qiao Yu immediately shut her mouth, not daring to say another word. She and Ye Yunjian didn't usually have much personal interaction, and she didn't know how good he was at cards. He was practically glued to her, and Qiao Yu looked him over, secretly worried.

The area around them was already packed with people. Ye Yunjian played his cards slowly and calmly, which made several alphas sweat.

After playing his last four cards, Ye Yunjian looked at the people at the table with a smile, "You've lost."

Ye Yunjian's nonchalant tone deeply offended the alphas' pride. After choosing their punishments, the three of them shuffled the cards in protest and continued to the second round. After two rounds, Ye Yunjian still won decisively. Gritting their teeth, the three of them shuffled the cards again without saying a word and then dealt the cards.

The laughter and chatter at the card table gradually died down. Ye Yunjian casually tossed down his cards again, saying, "You've lost again."

Ye Yunjian's dark eyes swept over the three pale faces in turn. He slowly said, "Choose your punishment. You get eighty times, you get sixty-eight times, you get seventy-three times." He pointed at each person slowly, and the smile on Ye Yunjian's lips faded a little. "A bet is a bet."

Anyone with eyes could see that Ye Yunjian did this on purpose. Qiao Yu had been tricked by these three people, so she personally stepped in to help Qiao Yu get justice and punish and warn them, letting everyone know that Qiao Yu is not someone who can be bullied by just anyone.

Qiao Yu sat to the side, her eyes sparkling. "Aunt Ye, you're amazing! I've never seen anyone play cards as well as you!"

Her tone was full of admiration, and Ye Yunjian unconsciously curled her lips into a smile. "It's alright." She thought to herself, no wonder those old men like young girls, it turns out that being admired by a young girl really feels good.

Ye Yunjian raised his chin and glanced at her, "I'll teach you when I have time."

"Thank you, Aunt Ye!" Qiao Yu looked at her happily, her eyes practically glued to the other woman.

But the three people on the other side weren't so happy. So many punishments, even if they were stripped naked, weren't enough! Given Ye Yunjian's vengeful nature, she would definitely demand they strip completely naked, just like she had done to Qiao Yu.

Losing face is a small matter; the real problem is getting a severe beating from your parents after they find out. You might even have to be dragged here by your parents to apologize to Ye Yunjian and Qiao Yu.

I should have known better than to act rashly and escalate the punishment.

The alphas looked pale. Ye Yunjian turned her head, her gaze cold. The three of them involuntarily lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into her deep, dangerous eyes.

Qiao Yu also remembered the punishment owed by the alphas. She looked at the man who was trembling with fear, and then at Ye Yunjian who was nonchalant. Qiao Yu hugged her arm and shook it slightly. "Aunt Ye, why don't we let it go this time? They played so badly, how could they be a match for you?"

"Even if you give them another two hundred years, they still won't be as good as you."

Seeing Qiao Yu beg for forgiveness, the others quickly followed suit and said nice things. Ye Yunjian looked over with an unclear expression. One of the alphas was quite quick-witted and immediately stood up and solemnly apologized to Qiao Yu. The other two followed suit and quickly apologized as well.

Ye Yunjian then let the three go.

Qiao Yu was laughing along when Ye Yunjian suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulled her up, and said to the rest of the group, "You guys keep playing."

The moment Ye Yunjian pulled her up, Qiao Yu realized something was wrong and tried to run away, but Ye Yunjian pulled her back again. Picking up the vest she had thrown aside, Ye Yunjian tossed the clothes into her arms and stared at her with a forced smile: "Put it on."

Qiao Yu dared not disobey, so she quickly put on her clothes and stood obediently in front of her.

Her obedience successfully pleased the woman, who finally stopped making things difficult for her and led her to a quiet corner.

Ye Yunjian wanted to confirm his guess, but before Qiao Yu could even stand up straight, the woman's slender figure, carrying a strong scent of pheromones, swept over her. The warm breath landed on the skin of her collarbone, and Qiao Yu froze, her whole body instantly stiffening, not daring to move an inch.

The heat moved slowly and steadily, seemingly heading towards the vulnerable area at the back of the neck.

The alpha's strong scent enveloped her tightly. As his cold fingers moved across her skin, Qiao Yu's legs went weak, and she involuntarily fell into Ye Yunjian's arms. "Auntie, don't move around, I can't take it."

She grasped the other person's fingers and said listlessly, "Please."

Author's Note: