Jiang Shuiyun, who had originally intended to take a taxi, decided to comply, since Shen Yunyi was going the same way anyway.
This time, Jiang Shuiyun helped Yi Jinbai sit in the back seat while Shen Yunyi drove.
As soon as the car started, Shen Yunyi glanced to the side and saw the sheet music for Yi Jinbai on the passenger seat. He handed the sheet music to Jiang Shuiyun and said, "Miss Yi's sheet music is still in my car. Don't forget to pick it up later."
“I almost forgot,” Jiang Shuiyun took the bag and placed it beside her, looking at Shen Yunyi through the rearview mirror. “By the way, we’re going to a competition soon, and I’ll try to send you the improved version of the game before the competition.”
“Okay, no need to rush,” Shen Yunyi readily agreed. “If you can really make this happen, then you won’t have to worry about the initial start-up capital for your company. I’ll get things ready for you. Don’t let me fall behind in this opportunity.”
"You have that much confidence in me?" Jiang Shuiyun was talking to Shen Yunyi about Jiang Shuiyun starting a technology company. He had only said a few words and hadn't even brought out anything of value yet, but Shen Yunyi was more confident than him.
"Of course, and I wish us a pleasant cooperation in advance."
Shen Yunyi knew this was somewhat against his usual style, but for some reason, he had a blind trust in Jiang Shuiyun, so he decided to trust his intuition.
The two exchanged a glance in the rearview mirror, and Jiang Shuiyun smiled and nodded.
"It's a pleasure working with you; you won't be disappointed."
Shen Yunyi nodded, "By the way, where did you learn these two moves? I've never heard of you being such a good fighter before."
"It's just a little self-defense technique. If you want to learn, I'll teach you later."
Jiang Shuiyun could tell that Shen Yunyi exercised regularly, but he probably didn't know kung fu.
"Okay, you can take down so many people with just a little self-defense. You'd better teach me properly."
The two chatted for a while and soon arrived home. Shen Yunyi helped Jiang Shuiyun help Yi Jinbai out of the car and took the sheet music.
Jiang Shuiyun asked Shen Yunyi to bring the sheet music, then picked up Yi Jinbai and said, "Wait a moment, I have something to ask you."
"Okay, I'll wait here."
Shen Yunyi stood on the first floor, watching Jiang Shuiyun holding Yi Jinbai as the elevator slowly ascended, and waited quietly.
After settling Yi Jinbai in, Jiang Shuiyun looked at Yi Jinbai's peaceful and rosy sleeping face, covered her with a blanket, and gently closed the door before going downstairs.
The two sat down on the first floor, and Jiang Shuiyun got straight to the point, "It's still about Jinbai. I know nothing about music. What do people who like music usually do after graduating from university?"
Jiang Shuiyun originally intended to ask Yi Jinbai directly about this issue, but since Yi Jinbai was drunk, she could only consult Shen Yunyi first, since he understood the world better than she did.
Shen Yunyi was actually a little unfamiliar with this question. "Generally speaking, some people choose to pursue further studies, some give up music due to reality, some find music-related jobs, and some choose to pursue their dreams, such as talent shows or becoming folk musicians, doing what they want to do. That's all I know. So, are you planning the future for Miss Yi?"
"I'm just trying to find out more; it's up to her to decide."
Jiang Shuiyun noted down the points Shen Yunyi mentioned.
"That's true, but most Omegas ultimately choose family. Moreover, judging from the current work situation of Omegas, it's not very optimistic. You must think it through carefully."
Shen Yunyi didn't know how to say much about Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai's relationship, so he could only touch on it briefly.
Jiang Shuiyun probably knew that after seeing Shen Yunyi off, she went upstairs and glanced at the drunk Yi Jinbai.
Jiang Shuiyun was startled when she found the bed empty. Where was Yi Jinbai, who had been lying there just moments before?
After looking around, Jiang Shuiyun heard a sound coming from the direction of the bathroom in the room. She had only taken two steps in that direction when the door was suddenly opened, and Yi Jinbai staggered out from inside, holding onto the door for support.
Smelling a faint fragrance in the air, Jiang Shuiyun assumed that Yi Jinbai might have washed his face because he was drunk and feeling unwell. She didn't pay much attention and stepped forward, intending to help Yi Jinbai over to rest. However, before she could even touch Yi Jinbai, she was slapped away.
With a crisp sound, Yi Jinbai took a step back, leaned against the wall, and slurred, "Don't come near me, go away! Go away!"
Jiang Shuiyun stopped approaching Yi Jinbai and looked at Yi Jinbai, who was pressed tightly against the wall, watching her warily and defensively, just like when Jiang Shuiyun had first arrived.
It seemed that Yi Jinbai, who was drunk, was out of his mind and thought he was still in that alley. Jiang Shuiyun pinched her brow, not knowing what to do.
Jiang Shuiyun stood still, and the two of them remained motionless for a long time like wooden figures. Yi Jinbai seemed to be tired, and slowly slid down the wall and sat on the ground. He closed his eyes and hummed a lullaby softly. There were no words, and the melody was hummed haltingly by Yi Jinbai, but it was still pleasant to listen to, and Jiang Shuiyun felt that it was somewhat familiar.
Sitting on the ground, Yi Jinbai swayed from side to side, seemingly completely immersed in his own world. Jiang Shuiyun tentatively took a step forward, but was not noticed by Yi Jinbai.
The ground was cold, and Jiang Shuiyun couldn't just leave Yi Jinbai there. So, taking advantage of Yi Jinbai's closed eyes, she quietly approached him.
The closer Jiang Shuiyun got, the more she noticed something was amiss. Why was that delicate fragrance getting stronger and stronger?
Jiang Shuiyun twitched her nose, still trying to find the source of the fragrance, when she felt a slight burning sensation in the glands at the back of her neck.
Jiang Shuiyun quickly covered the burning glands on the back of her neck with her hand. She felt as if her whole body was on fire. She seemed to know where the fragrance came from. Looking at Yi Jinbai, who was still humming a song, Jiang Shuiyun took two steps back. How could she be so slow to realize it?
Having never encountered more than ten Omegas in either of her two lifetimes, this was truly the first time Jiang Shuiyun had faced a situation she had only ever heard of: the Omega's vulnerable period. What should she do?
It's actually quite normal to have a fertile period; every Omega goes through one every month. Jiang Shuiyun tried her best to recall her superficial impressions of the fertile period and found that this was all she knew.
Scratching her head, Jiang Shuiyun looked at Yi Jinbai, who had gone from humming to whimpering in a short time. She also noticed that the fragrance in the room was getting stronger and stronger. If this continued, the situation might get out of control.
Despite the discomfort of her feverish body, Jiang Shuiyun turned around, her back to Yi Jinbai, and took out her phone. "Jinbai, wait a moment, let me search for how to deal with this."
Jiang Shuiyun was trying to focus her attention on her phone, looking at the answers, when she felt a warm sensation on her back. Someone pressed against her, and then a pair of hands wrapped around her waist from behind.
The unprecedented feeling made Jiang Shuiyun feel as if her head had exploded, and in an instant, she felt like a boiled shrimp.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:58:31 on May 4, 2022 and 06:04:10 on May 5, 2022!
Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmine: Shan'er Baby and Weizhi 1;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Qingfengyu Ni 20 bottles; Lele 10 bottles; hihihia 6 bottles; Weishi, Rye, and Baikaishui 5 bottles; Gaixingle 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 22
Stiff and frozen, Jiang Shuiyun didn't even know where to put her hands. Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest, and the shock made her tongue go numb.
Jiang Shuiyun took a stiff step forward, only to be held even tighter by Yi Jinbai. She could only tentatively try to rouse Yi Jinbai's senses, "Jinbai?"
However, this was clearly futile. Jiang Shuiyun received no response from Yi Jinbai, so she could only try to distract herself by looking at her phone, which was about to go dark. "Stay away from Alpha, inject an inhibitor?"
Looking at the simple and clear solution above, Jiang Shuiyun frowned in distress. So where is Yi Jinbai's inhibitor?
Unlike Omegas, Alphas don't have a fixed monthly fertile period. Alphas are only triggered by Omega pheromones or other subjective reasons, and their inhibitors cannot be used interchangeably.
Jiang Shuiyun closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and steadied herself. Then she took Yi Jinbai's hand, which was wrapped around her waist, and led her to sit down on a chair next to her. She prepared to give Yi Jinbai some water to help her sober up and ask where the inhibitor was.
Drunk again, and in his vulnerable period, Yi Jinbai looked completely different from usual. His whole body seemed to be flushed pink, and his usually reserved and clear eyes were misty as he looked at Jiang Shuiyun with a dazed expression. He took a sip of water, his already rosy and full lips glistening with water droplets, and then reluctantly frowned, refusing to drink any more.
With the child leaning against her chest, Jiang Shuiyun tried to keep her gaze focused on the water glass. "Jinbai, you have to tell me where the inhibitor is."
The water hadn't worked, so Yi Jinbai raised his hand and, like a child asking for candy, stubbornly hugged Jiang Shuiyun's neck. He rubbed his burning cheek against Jiang Shuiyun's face, and the slightly cool sensation made her sigh comfortably, finally calming down a bit.
Yi Jinbai felt better, but Jiang Shuiyun was in a terrible state. She drank the water in her cup in one gulp, knowing in her heart that if things continued like this, who knows what might happen.
Her fingernails dug into her palm, the pain allowing Jiang Shuiyun's rationality to prevail. Holding her breath, she bent down, picked up Yi Jinbai, and placed him on the bed, quickly curling him up into a ball under the covers.
With a series of swift movements, Jiang Shuiyun looked at Yi Jinbai, who was unable to move and was on the verge of tears from grievance. She closed her eyes, forced herself to harden her heart, pulled out a belt from the wardrobe, and tied the blanket and Yi Jinbai together. As she tied him up, she comforted him, "Jinbai, wait a minute. I will find the inhibitor soon."
Having temporarily subdued Yi Jinbai, Jiang Shuiyun turned on the ventilation in the room to prevent the pheromones from becoming too strong.
After looking around the room, Jiang Shuiyun began rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for inhibitors. The problem was that she didn't know what inhibitors looked like in this world, so she could only use her phone to search for pictures.
Pulling open each drawer, Jiang Shuiyun still couldn't find the inhibitor. But in the bedside table drawer, she saw a thick stack of sheet music drafts. The paper was ordinary; it was the kind you could easily buy in any store.
This must be Yi Jinbai's creation. Everyone has their own privacy. Jiang Shuiyun didn't intend to touch it. Just as she was about to close the drawer, her hand stopped. She couldn't understand the sheet music, but she could understand the song title that she had just glanced at on the top sheet.
The Nineteenth Level of Hell
"The place where the violent end, the place where the plunderers perish, all the tyrants should be brought to their deaths here, bearing the sins of their crimes..."
Jiang Shuiyun paused for a moment, looked at Yi Jinbai who was still struggling on the bed, and realized who the lyrics were referring to.
Sure enough, such severe damage cannot be easily erased. Even if you try to cover it up on the surface and forcefully suppress it in your heart, it will only rot and worsen in a corner where no one can see it.
Closing the drawer, Jiang Shuiyun faced the damage the original owner had caused to Yi Jinbai for the first time. Her feverish mind finally cooled down, and she continued searching for inhibitors.
Jiang Shuiyun finally found the inhibitor that Yi Jinbai had bought in the corner of the wardrobe. It was a tiny injection, about the size of a fingernail, which she inserted into the gland at the back of Yi Jinbai's neck according to the instructions.
The inhibitor worked quickly; Yi Jinbai's pheromones stopped spreading, and with the operation of the ventilation system, the previous fragrance almost completely disappeared.
Yi Jinbai gradually calmed down and closed his eyes as if he had fallen asleep.
Jiang Shuiyun untied the belt binding Yi Jinbai's waist, covered Yi Jinbai with the blanket again, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and sat quietly on the chair by the bed, waiting for Yi Jinbai to wake up.
Yi Jinbai was actually conscious when she was injected with the inhibitor. After all that commotion, plus the effects of alcohol, she felt exhausted and didn't even have the strength to open her eyes. However, she could feel what Jiang Shuiyun had done for her, so she fell asleep peacefully.
Jiang Shuiyun waited for a while and saw that Yi Jinbai was already fast asleep. Thinking that he might not wake up for a while, she got up and went out to do other things first.
Sitting in front of the computer, Jiang Shuiyun prepared to start refining "Star Wars". She first opened the mech on her wrist and connected it to the computer. While waiting for the connection progress bar to build, she stared at the computer screen in a daze.
How does Yi Jinbai view herself now? Is she trying to believe in her changes while simultaneously living in fear, wondering when she might revert to her old self?
"bite!"
The connection completion notification sounded, interrupting Jiang Shuiyun's thoughts. She glanced up at the room upstairs and decided to wait until Yi Jinbai woke up before having a proper talk.
After the computer was connected to the mecha, the original system program on the computer was replaced with the mecha's program, making it easier for Jiang Shuiyun to use.
Time passed slowly. Jiang Shuiyun stretched and looked at the game screen running on the computer. After the modifications, the original game graphics had not only made a qualitative leap, but the smoothness of the combat actions had also been greatly improved. Jiang Shuiyun even upgraded the operation experience, but the operation difficulty was also much higher than before.
The sound of the door opening upstairs made Jiang Shuiyun look up. Yi Jinbai had already washed his face and changed his clothes, and he also looked down to meet Jiang Shuiyun's gaze.
Jiang Shuiyun pursed her lips slightly. "Jinbai, I have something to tell you."
Yi Jinbai came downstairs and sat opposite Jiang Shuiyun. "Thank you for today."
"You're welcome," Jiang Shuiyun said, her gaze fixed on the computer screen, her hand tapping the desktop unconsciously. "Jinbai, I know you studied music before. Do you want to continue down this path in the future?"
"ah?"
Jiang Shuiyun knew Yi Jinbai would be somewhat surprised, so she continued, "I know it was my fault back then. I was stubborn and caused you to suffer like this. I'm truly sorry, so..."
"Didn't you lose your memory?" Yi Jinbai interrupted Jiang Shuiyun, his gaze towards her filled with scrutiny and suspicion.
“Um…” Jiang Shuiyun felt that lying was really difficult. One lie required a hundred to cover it up, but not covering it up was not an option. So she could only bite the bullet and make up a story, “I can’t remember anything from before, but I do have some vague memories of you.”
Jiang Shuiyun felt that her statement was utterly terrible, and lowered her head, trying her best not to look into Yi Jinbai's eyes.
Jiang Shuiyun could feel Yi Jinbai's gaze lingering on her face for a long time, so long that Jiang Shuiyun unconsciously held her breath.
"If I had a choice, I would like to continue down the path of music."
Yi Jinbai did not expose Jiang Shuiyun's obvious lie, and answered the initial question, which finally relieved Jiang Shuiyun.
Raising her head again, Jiang Shuiyun looked at Yi Jinbai and said, "Okay, I'll help you. Do you want to pursue further studies? Or whatever you want is fine. Just let me know if you need anything."
"Further studies?" Yi Jinbai repeated Jiang Shuiyun's words, "What exactly do you want to do?"