Chapter 13
A Change of Heart
An Jianqing awoke suddenly.
She opened her eyes wide, every muscle tense — alert enough to overcome even the remnants of her drunkenness.
When she saw she was back in her own room, she finally let out a small sigh of relief.
Her clothes were neat, and there was no trace of Omega pheromone lingering in the air.
She had always been careful never to drink too much in public — if she lost control, others might discover her secret.
This time, the crowd had pushed her too far, pouring one drink after another until she’d unknowingly blacked out.
An Jianqing got out of bed and walked to the window, pushing it open to the dark night beyond.
“Sister, you’re awake? How do you feel?” came a gentle voice behind her.
She turned around to see Ning Xuechu standing by the balcony, wearing thin sleepwear that barely shielded her from the cold. Her slender figure looked fragile, as if a single gust of wind could knock her down.
“Xuechu… did you bring me back?” An Jianqing asked, a flicker of worry in her voice.
She feared she might have said something while drunk — something that revealed she wasn’t really an Alpha.
“Yes, Sister,” Ning Xuechu replied with a bright smile. Half-truthfully, she explained,
“Everyone else was already drunk, and only you could still stand. But once we got in the car, you fell asleep. Luckily, I have a driver’s license, so I could get us back.”
“Thank you, Xuechu.” An Jianqing smiled gently, completely believing her words.
In her eyes, Ning Xuechu was a well-behaved, honest, slightly introverted girl — someone who would never lie.
“I’ll head back to my room,” An Jianqing said softly. “It’s windy out here, go get some rest.”
“Alright, Sister,” Ning Xuechu replied with a smile.
Under An Jianqing’s watchful gaze, she turned and went back to her room.
After standing in the cold for over an hour, Ning Xuechu’s head was completely clear — and her thoughts had become sharper.
If An Jianqing could fall for an Alpha like Qiu Mengxi… then why couldn’t that Alpha be her?
If she could win An Jianqing’s heart, taking back the Ning family fortune would be even easier.
That night, Ning Xuechu searched online for “how to pursue someone” — taking notes in a small notebook of every tip and strategy she found.
She took notes seriously — four or five full pages — then went over them line by line, crossing out anything that didn’t apply to An Jianqing’s situation.
As for what the teacher was saying on the podium, she didn’t hear a single word.
Thirty minutes before the final class ended, Ning Xuechu sent a text message to An Jianqing:
“Sister, can you come pick me up today?”
When An Jianqing saw the message, she was a little surprised — and secretly delighted. She quickly replied with a single word:
“Okay.”
It was the first time Ning Xuechu had ever asked her to come to the school. Wanting to arrive early, An Jianqing even left work twenty minutes ahead of time, something she rarely did.
Her company was only a ten-minute drive from the school.
She didn’t tell Ning Xuechu that she had left early.
When classes ended, Ning Xuechu bought two jin of cherries, carrying the bag lazily in one hand as she strolled toward the school gate.
She knew exactly when An Jianqing’s workday ended and also knew that she often worked overtime — there was no way she could get there so quickly.
Standing at the school entrance, Ning Xuechu blinked in mild surprise when she saw the familiar car pull up and the familiar figure inside.
Then she quickly smiled, her expression brightening with genuine joy. She ran forward, carrying the cherries.
“Sister…” Ning Xuechu called happily, throwing herself straight into An Jianqing’s arms.
An Jianqing froze for a moment but instinctively caught her. “Xuechu, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just really happy to see you.” Ning Xuechu looked up, her smile radiant.
Something about it made An Jianqing feel a little uneasy.
Students passing by glanced curiously at the two of them. Some even whispered under their breath:
“Her girlfriend’s so pretty — and she’s a high-rank Alpha.”
“So jealous. A normal Omega actually found such an amazing Alpha.”
The murmurs drifted over on the breeze, and something subtle stirred in An Jianqing’s chest.
She quietly stepped back to put a bit of distance between them, keeping her smile gentle. “Let’s get in the car.”
“Okay, Sister.” Ning Xuechu responded sweetly, then climbed in and handed her the cherries. “Sister, try some. I washed them already.”
“Thank you, Xuechu.” An Jianqing picked one up and popped it into her mouth.
The sweet-and-sour flavor spread on her tongue, lifting her mood instantly.
She smiled, eyes curving, as she started the car.
Ning Xuechu watched her quietly, lips curling in a small smile of her own.
After they had driven for a while, Ning Xuechu deliberately broke the silence. “Sister, what kind of person is Miss Qiu?”
The question made An Jianqing’s heart tighten. Her fingers tapped unconsciously against the steering wheel.
Panic flickered through her — she couldn’t think clearly.
Right now, she couldn’t tell whether Ning Xuechu was asking because she liked Qiu Mengxi… or if it was just casual curiosity.
After a brief pause, An Jianqing countered softly, “Xuechu, why are you suddenly asking about Mengxi?”
“I heard she’s your best friend,” Ning Xuechu replied with an innocent smile. “If I’ll be seeing her often in the future, I thought it’d help to know her a little better.”
“Mengxi is a very capable Alpha — sociable, well-liked, and respected,” An Jianqing said evenly.
Her tone was textbook-neutral, devoid of personal emotion.
Clearly, that wasn’t the answer Ning Xuechu wanted. She pressed further.
“Sister, since you’re friends with Miss Qiu, you must know what she’s really like.”
“The real her…” An Jianqing murmured, lowering her gaze.
She and Qiu Mengxi had known each other for almost twenty years.
When the Ning couple adopted her from the orphanage — treating her as their own daughter — they often brought her along to high-society banquets.
Although they never officially declared her as their foster daughter or went through legal adoption, everyone knew her place in the Ning family was unique.
It was at one of those banquets that she met Qiu Mengxi.
When the other children mocked and excluded her, only Qiu Mengxi was willing to play with her — even standing up for her and driving away the bullies.
From that moment, she’d believed Qiu Mengxi would be her best friend for life.
When that friendship began to change, she didn’t even realize.
But one thing she knew with painful clarity — she would never tell anyone about her feelings.
Even if one day she could reclaim her true identity as an Omega, she would never cross that line with Qiu Mengxi.
Qiu Mengxi was the heir to the Qiu family. The person she would eventually marry had to be an Omega of equal status.
And she — she was just an orphan. Even if she managed the Ning Corporation with competence, her background could never win her true acceptance.
Besides, Qiu Mengxi was the type who treated love as a fleeting amusement — charming countless Omegas, passionate when pursuing them, but coldly ruthless once she lost interest.
If anyone clung to her, Qiu Mengxi would use money or force to make them give up.
To her, love was nothing more than a ridiculous joke.
“Xuechu,” An Jianqing said after a long silence, voice low, “you and she are from two different worlds.”
Ning Xuechu couldn’t help twitching the corner of her mouth.
Clearly, An Jianqing had misunderstood — she thought Ning Xuechu was interested in Qiu Mengxi.
An Alpha liking another Alpha? Impossible.
But if she kept explaining, her real intentions might slip.
So Ning Xuechu wisely dropped the subject and began chatting about funny little things from school.
An Jianqing listened attentively, responding with gentle laughter now and then.
The car filled with lighthearted warmth, and both of them silently avoided mentioning that third person again.
After they returned to the villa and finished dinner,
Ning Xuechu opened her wardrobe — a row of beautiful clothes greeted her. She picked up an oversized pajama shirt and held it against herself.
Facing the mirror, she tilted her head and tested a few poses. Even the smallest movement — a slouch of the shoulder — made the loose fabric slip down her arms.
Ning Xuechu smiled with satisfaction, picked up the pajamas, and left her room.
She knocked on An Jianqing’s door and spoke in a slightly nervous voice.
“Sister, I think the water heater in my bathroom’s broken… Can I use yours to take a shower?”
An Jianqing froze for a second. Her first instinct was to refuse, but when she saw the girl’s pitiful expression, she hesitated and finally nodded.
“Thank you, Sister!” Ning Xuechu’s eyes lit up. She happily dashed into the bathroom.
Watching her behave like a cheerful child, An Jianqing couldn’t help laughing softly — and she felt a little silly for her earlier overthinking.
How could such a simple, innocent girl possibly be like those scheming Omegas who used little tricks to seduce Alphas?
Since coming to the Ning family, the child had never once released her pheromones in front of her.
She was an excellent student at school, always near the top of her class, and had never dated anyone. She probably didn’t even understand such adult matters at all.
Inside the bathroom, Ning Xuechu lay in the tub, seriously going over the seduction guides she had read online.
Some people said that the most effective way to tempt someone was subtle, unseen — that the kind of direct, “strip-and-throw-yourself-into-their-arms” approach was crude and weak.
Such tactics couldn’t capture an Alpha’s heart; they only created fleeting novelty that would inevitably lead to being discarded.
After finishing her bath, Ning Xuechu slipped into her pajamas and stood before the mirror, trying to find the most natural “enticing” pose.
No matter how she moved, everything still looked a bit deliberate.
Her cheeks, flushed from the steam, glowed a soft pink. Her dark eyes shimmered like polished obsidian. A single pale shoulder peeked from the loose neckline, and her damp black hair dripped beads of water down smooth, luminous skin.
Amid that purity, a faint sensuality seemed to bloom naturally.
“This looks less forced now,” Ning Xuechu murmured, smiling at her reflection.
She reached for the doorknob, deliberately slowing her movements as she opened the bathroom door.
The view widened bit by bit — she knew that, from where An Jianqing sat, she would gradually see her.
When the door was finally open, their gazes met.
Ning Xuechu ran her fingers through her damp hair, smiling as though nothing were unusual. “Sister, I’m done with my bath — it feels so nice.”
For a brief moment, An Jianqing’s eyes betrayed a flicker of astonishment at the sight of her — young, radiant, and beautiful.
