Chapter 32

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At the sound of her name, Luo Xin frowned.

Because it was still dark, she ignored it—but it became persistent. Luo Xin didn’t care and continued walking, her steps steady against the wet pavement, the quiet night wrapping around her like a shield.

If it continued calling out to her in the dead of night... she would do the same.

Ignore it.

That was easier.

Safer.

But as she walked, the scent of lavender and chamomile suddenly wrapped around her like a blanket in cold weather, soft yet suffocating, familiar in a way she wished it wasn’t.

It made her freeze.

Completely.

No matter how much she didn’t want to acknowledge it... the thought had already surfaced, clawing its way into her mind without permission.

It was Shen Mei’s... pheromones.

The moment the Alpha froze, the sound of hurried footsteps against the wet pavement followed behind her, uneven and rushed, as if the person chasing her had been running for far too long.

"Luo... Xin..."

"...Luo... Xin..."

The voice was breathless, fragile, almost breaking with every syllable as Shen Mei called out to her.

But as Shen Mei slowed her pace and approached, she suddenly noticed how Luo Xin’s grip tightened around the grocery bag in her hand, the plastic crinkling under the pressure.

The sandalwood and amber pheromones grew stronger, heavier in the air, sharp and suffocating, revealing the Alpha’s anger without needing words.

That alone made Shen Mei slow down.

Her steps faltered.

She had forgotten...

Her relationship with Luo Xin wasn’t good.

Not anymore.

Sighing softly, she walked closer anyway, even when every instinct told her not to. Luo Xin was taller than her, and now that she stood in front of her, Shen Mei could see her silver eyes clearly beneath the dim glow of the streetlights.

They were narrowed—as if Luo Xin was trying her best to hold back something far more dangerous than anger.

"I know... I’m the last person you want to meet right now... but please, aren’t you taking this too far? It’s been, what... three years already?" Shen Mei said, her voice careful, almost hesitant, as her eyes widened slightly while looking up at her.

At those words, Luo Xin let out a dark, humorless chuckle, the sound low and cold, hating the fact that she had even stopped walking because of Shen Mei’s scent.

Because of her.

Pushing her aside, Luo Xin spoke without looking at her.

"I don’t have time for this..."

But as she pushed Shen Mei, she didn’t realize how much strength she used.

She was used to Guo Chen—someone she could shove, hit, and roughhouse with without consequences.

Someone who wouldn’t break.

But this—

A sharp gasp cut through the air.

A choked sound followed.

Shen Mei’s back slammed hard against the café wall, the impact echoing softly under the rain as her glasses slipped from her face and shattered against the ground.

Time seemed to stop.

Luo Xin’s eyes widened.

For a split second, she just stood there.

Then she turned quickly, a curse slipping from her lips under her breath as she rushed toward Shen Mei, her heartbeat suddenly uneven.

What had she done?

The thought hit harder than anything else.

She crouched down, picking up the broken glasses with trembling fingers before reaching out to steady Shen Mei, her touch hesitant for the first time.

"Are you... okay?" Luo Xin asked, her voice lower now, rougher, the sharp edge gone—replaced with something unstable.

Something she didn’t want to name.

But instead of tears...

Instead of anger...

Shen Mei smiled.

A small, quiet smile that didn’t match the situation at all.

"So you... do care," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Luo Xin froze again.

Her heart slammed violently against her ribs, so loud it drowned out the rain, so fast it made her chest ache.

No...

It was because of how close Shen Mei was.

Because of her pheromones.

An omega’s scent could make any Alpha react like this.

That was all.

That had to be it.

But she couldn’t lie to herself.

Not anymore.

She knew exactly why her heart was beating like this.

No matter what Shen Mei did... she couldn’t move on.

Even after three years...

Even after everything that happened...

She still liked her.

And that was exactly the problem.

But that didn’t mean Shen Mei should ever know.

And that was exactly why—

She would always hate her.

Stepping back abruptly, Luo Xin shoved her hands into her pockets, damp from the rain and the umbrella she had been holding earlier, her expression closing off completely as she forced her emotions down.

"What the fuck do you want? I don’t have all day, Miss Shen," Luo Xin said, irritation returning to her voice, sharper now, harsher, as if trying to cover up what almost slipped through.

At the word "Miss Shen," the smile on Shen Mei’s face slowly faded.

That single title felt heavier than anything else.

"Don’t call me that..." she muttered softly, her gaze dropping.

Luo Xin frowned slightly—but didn’t say anything more about it.

She didn’t want to ask why.

She didn’t want to care.

Finally, feeling like she had had enough, Luo Xin turned away, bending down to grab the plastic bag and umbrella from the wet ground before starting to walk again.

"Wait... Luo Xin, you broke my glasses—how am I supposed—"

Before Shen Mei could finish, Luo Xin suddenly laughed.

It wasn’t a happy laugh.

It was sharp.

Bitter.

She pushed her short hair back, turning toward Shen Mei with a look that was almost mocking.

"What? You want money from someone like me? You want glasses bought by someone way out of your league?" Luo Xin asked, her tone cutting, each word deliberate.

Shen Mei’s eyes widened at that.

"I’m sorry..." she whispered.

"Oh, you’re sorry?" Luo Xin snapped, her voice rising slightly. "What are you sorry for? For being rich? For showing off your wealth? For telling me over and over again how pathetic I am to you?"

She let out another bitter laugh, shaking her head.

"And yet here we are... three years later... you come back to the pathetic me again."

Shen Mei felt something tighten painfully in her chest.

She really had made a mistake.

Calling Luo Xin...

Knowing their history.

Knowing how things ended.

"It’s been three years... and I’ve been apologizing every time I saw you... what more do you want from me?" Shen Mei asked, her voice trembling now as her vision blurred behind tear-filled eyes.

At those words, Luo Xin chuckled again, but this time it was quieter.

Colder.

"For you to stay the fuck away from me."

And with that, she turned and walked away without looking back, her figure slowly disappearing into the rain, each step firm, as if she had already made her decision long ago.

Shen Mei stood there for a moment.

Then slowly...

She sank down onto the wet pavement, the cold seeping through her clothes, the rain mixing with the tears she could no longer hold back.

It hurt.

Not just a little.

Not just because of what was said.

But because she knew...

Exactly why Luo Xin was like this.

Because she remembered everything.

And because deep down—

She knew she deserved it.