Chapter 9: Hospital Room

Su Mi had a fleeting thought of turning around and leaving. The elevator to the underground garage was on the other side, and if she moved quickly enough, Secretary Zhuang wouldn’t see her.

However, Secretary Zhuang had already spotted her and greeted her with a perfect smile, nodding slightly.

Well, then.

Su Mi approached and politely greeted him, “Good afternoon, Secretary Zhuang. What brings you here?”

They exchanged socially polite smiles and stared at each other for a moment.

Secretary Zhuang said, “Miss Shen said the matter you asked her to handle has been resolved. She asked me to take you to see her.”

Su Mi was puzzled. Why take her to see Shen Han? Xu Nanqiao was the one who got bullied; if Shen Han wanted to showcase her capabilities, she should take Xu Nanqiao along, right?

She voiced this thought aloud.

Secretary Zhuang replied, “This is Miss Shen’s instruction. You can ask her the details when you see her.”

Su Mi could only agree.

She sent a message to her parents saying she’d be late and followed Secretary Zhuang into his business car.

Secretary Zhuang seemed to prefer driving manually, doing it so smoothly that it was on par with the intelligent driving systems.

After a while, Su Mi noticed that the scenery outside was unfamiliar. It wasn’t the road to Nanyuan.

“Secretary Zhuang, are we going to Nanyuan?”

She knew that in the storyline, Secretary Zhuang was always loyal to Shen Han, so she was merely curious about their destination.

Secretary Zhuang said, “We’re heading to another location. You’ll know when we get there.”

Su Mi opened the navigation on her smartwatch and saw that they were heading west.

Although the nightlife in Shoucheng was generally not lively, the west side was an exception. Most entertainment venues were located there, and the increasing presence of neon lights among the closely packed buildings indicated they were approaching the bustling part of the city.

Su Mi remembered that in the storyline, Xu Nanqiao, after entering university, suddenly faced a huge debt at home. Intending to sever ties with Shen Han, she went to work in a bar in the western part of the city, where a lot of dramatic events ensued.

Secretary Zhuang weaved through the complex buildings and finally stopped in front of a high-end club.

He was clearly a familiar face here—or perhaps he managed this place for the Shen family.

Su Mi followed Secretary Zhuang into the club. After bypassing the noisy reception area with all its loud music and flashing lights, they entered a building behind the main one. This smaller building, about three stories high, had an entirely different ambiance, resembling a research institute or hospital with its blue and white color scheme. The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees as soon as they entered.

Along the way to the upper floor, every few meters, there was a black-clad guard, making the security tight.

Su Mi walked nervously.

It felt like entering a secret underground research facility of the Shen family… Was Shen Han researching something clandestine here? The original storyline didn’t mention this, only hinting that the Shen family had great influence in Shoucheng, both legally and otherwise.

Su Mi quickened her pace to catch up with Secretary Zhuang.

They reached the second floor, where Secretary Zhuang led her to a door seemingly made of high-tech materials. After whispering a few words to the guard at the door, he turned to Su Mi and said, “Miss Su, Miss Shen is waiting for you inside.”

Su Mi: “…Okay.”

The guard opened the door, revealing a dark room inside, with only a faint blue glow visible.

Su Mi took a deep breath and walked in.

She had recently read many of the novels recommended by the system, where many villains had claustrophobia.

Villains like Shen Han, who always stayed in dark places, were rare.

After Su Mi entered, Shen Han turned on the lights… and the screen in front of her.

It wasn’t exactly a screen but rather a large one-way glass.

With the lights on, Su Mi could see that it was an observation room.

Unlike the casual attire she wore at their last meeting, today, Shen Han was dressed in a beige silk embroidered shirt, with two buttons undone, revealing a straight collarbone and a bodhi-like pendant.

Her long black hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin adorned with a green jade stone, with a small strand of hair hanging down her temple, partially covering a barely visible mole at the corner of her eye.

She sat facing the glass, calmly looking at the brightly lit room on the other side, holding something cigarette-like between her slender fingers, with a faint blue glow at the end.

Shen Han gestured to a chair, “Sit down.”

Su Mi obediently sat in the chair beside Shen Han.

There was a faint floral scent in the air.

Su Mi looked through the one-way glass and saw what looked like a dormitory… or a hospital ward?

There were six separate beds, each occupied by someone in hospital clothes. Squinting, Su Mi recognized them as the Alpha thugs who had harassed Xu Nanqiao and herself.

“Recognize them?” Shen Han asked.

Su Mi nodded blankly.

Since handing the matter over to Shen Han, Su Mi hadn’t paid much attention to those men.

She had researched the world’s laws and found that this ABO world protected pheromones very strictly. Alpha offenders who intentionally released pheromones to induce Omega heat periods were treated as severe offenders, akin to rapists in her original world.

She had assumed those men were in detention, awaiting trial. She hadn’t expected them to be in Shen Han’s custody.

Shen Han made a lazy sound, straightened up, and tapped a few buttons on the control screen, sharing a data panel and several documents with Su Mi.

The panel displayed the pheromone concentration in the opposite room, while the documents seemed to be the medical reports of those Alphas.

No… Perhaps they couldn’t be called Alphas anymore.

The panel monitoring the pheromone concentration showed that the Alpha values were completely zero.

If she guessed correctly, those once arrogant Alphas were now… Betas?

Su Mi was stunned for a long time.

She hesitantly asked, “…Sister, did these people…?”

While Su Mi studied the data and reports, Shen Han played with the cigarette-like object in her fingers.

She responded indifferently, “The inspectors found that the pheromone concentration was at 40% at the time. Such Alphas who can’t control their urges don’t need their pheromones.”

Su Mi, confused, looked at Shen Han and asked, “Is this legal?”

She vaguely recalled the Omega Protection Act, which was quite stringent. For severe cases of Omega harassment, removing the Alpha’s pheromone glands wasn’t out of the question.

But why were they in Shen Han’s custody…?

Shen Han glanced at her, a faint smile on her lips.

“More or less,” she said lazily.

Great answer.

Su Mi stared at Shen Han, puzzled.

The latter’s expression was indifferent, lounging in the chair.

She seemed like a cat hiding in the shadows, observing before pouncing on its prey.

Or perhaps she simply didn’t regard Su Mi as significant.

Shen Han tilted her head and suddenly asked, “Do you think this punishment is too lenient? These people are in my hands now. If you want, I can turn them into Omegas with a simple surgery.”

Su Mi: ??

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head vehemently.

“No, no, this is enough!”

That sounds illegal!

“Ah, okay then.”

Shen Han sighed, leaning back in her chair.

She didn’t seem genuinely regretful but didn’t offer further explanation.

Su Mi decided to ask Secretary Zhuang about these people later.

She was lost in thought when she heard Shen Han chuckle.

Looking up, she saw Shen Han’s smile fading.

“Do you want to see the pheromone concentration in this room?” Shen Han asked.

Su Mi felt she had no choice but to agree: “Okay.”

She moved closer to Shen Han—though not too close—and peered at the screen.

Her first glance at the screen almost made her think she was mistaken.

It displayed a lone Alpha pheromone value.

A red-tinged color.

Su Mi was stunned, then looked up at Shen Han.

She stammered, “W-what does this mean?”

Shen Han tilted her head, a strand of hair falling down, her cold eyes gleaming with interest.

“It means my pheromone levels are currently unstable,” Shen Han said.

Su Mi: “…”

Danger.

A sense of danger rose, and Su Mi looked at Shen Han.

They were about 30 centimeters apart, face to face. Su Mi could clearly see Shen Han’s slightly trembling eyelashes, her icy blue eyes, her snow-white skin, and her faintly colored lips.

After a second of staring, Su Mi instinctively averted her gaze to Shen Han’s mouth.

Her throat itched, perhaps from nerves, but she resisted the urge to swallow.

The faint smile on Shen Han’s lips, like moonlight, said, “Good thing you’re a Beta. Otherwise, you’d be triggered into a heat period like Xu Nanqiao was.”

Su Mi: “…”

She mustered all her willpower to smile back.

“Yes, Sister, it’s a good thing I’m a Beta. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to escape with Nanqiao that day.”

Shen Han watched her for a moment, then chuckled.

The room seemed to breathe again with that chuckle, and the pressure lifted.

“Alright, sit up straight. Isn’t that position uncomfortable?” Shen Han said lazily.

“Okay, Sister.”

Su Mi quickly returned to the embrace of her chair, still holding her breath, afraid that Shen Han would sense her unease.

“I watched the surveillance footage from that day. You handled it well. That set of golf clubs isn’t complete anymore, so I had Secretary Zhuang order a new set for you. It will be delivered next week,” Shen Han said. “But you also need to brush up on AO biology. You didn’t even realize that Xu Nanqiao was being stimulated into a heat period.”

Wasn’t that area a surveillance blind spot? How did Shen Han get the footage?

Su Mi forced a smile, “Okay.”

Shen Han asked, “Is there anything else you want?”

Su Mi blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Despite the intimidating testing, Shen Han was indeed very generous.

“Nothing at the moment,” Su Mi replied honestly.

Shen Han remarked, “That’s rare.”

Su Mi: “…”

What kind of image does Shen Han have of the original character?

But this reminded Su Mi of another important matter.

She said, “Should I tell Nanqiao about these people’s fate?”

“That’s up to you,” Shen Han replied lazily.

Noticing the way Su Mi referred to Xu Nanqiao, she repeated, “Nanqiao?”

Su Mi: Oh, here comes the possessiveness!

She explained quickly, “Yes, after what happened, we’ve gotten much closer. I also told her about my plan to apply to Capital City University, so now I often study with her. She’s truly someone important to you, Sister. Nanqiao is kind, intelligent, and has helped me a lot. She’s really amazing!”

After saying this, Su Mi glanced at Shen Han, who showed no reaction.

Shen Han chuckled softly.

The corners of her lips curled slightly, her beautiful profile turning toward Su Mi, scrutinizing her.

“Su Mi, I must say, you’ve changed a lot since your differentiation.”

Su Mi quickly put on a bright smile, “Since I’m a Beta now, I thought I should improve my abilities and learn skills that truly belong to me. That’s the foundation of standing on my own.”

Shen Han made a noncommittal sound, her expression revealing nothing about whether she believed Su Mi or not. She smiled slightly and said, “It’s fine. What’s mine is yours. I can take care of you.”

Su Mi: “…”

She doesn’t believe me.

Author’s Note:
Shen Han: “Keep acting.”
Su Mi: “Keep making things up.”