CHAPTER 24

It was scorching hot.

The air that sprayed from her mouth and nose seemed to be not just air, but an invisible flame. The flame burned, causing everything in her field of vision to become hazy. Shu Yanyan licked her lips and mustered the last bit of strength to move towards the shower, turning on the cold water switch.

"Splash—"

Cool water poured down, landing on her burning skin. At first, Shu Yanyan couldn't control her trembling, but then she let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't distinguish between hot and cold anymore, nor was she aware of the potential health risks of this behavior. She simply adjusted herself into a comfortable position, closed her eyes, and allowed herself to lose consciousness.

On her smart bracelet, there were nearly a hundred messages from Chu Yu.

[Chu Yu: I saw the photo. Did you recognize it earlier? Why didn't you tell me?]

[Chu Yu: Shu Qing is me, and Yunmiao is my child. You've been searching for the person who is me. Why didn't you say anything?]

[Chu Yu: I'm sorry... I was just a bit overwhelmed. It's not your fault. I'm on my way to find you in the past. Be good, Yanyan. Wait for me at home.]

Not a single one of these messages received a reply. Chu Yu gradually realized that something was wrong.

[Chu Yu: Yanyan?]

[Chu Yu: Yanyan, are you still there? Just reply to me, please.]

[Chu Yu: Please, just say something to let me know you're still there, okay?]

[...]

Without exception, all these messages went unanswered.

At this point, Shu Yanyan was already in a state of delirium, tormented by the fever raging within her body. She could feel vibrations on her wrist from the smart bracelet, but she had no consciousness to check or respond. In a dazed state, she reached out her hands into empty space, as if trying to touch something, but all she grasped was the icy cold water.

Shu Yanyan felt a sense of grievance, her lips quivering as she murmured, "Ah Qing... Shu Qing..."

But after a while, these calls changed to another name.

"Chu Yu... Chu Yu..."

Chu Yu wasn't aware of her exact condition, but it didn't stop her from feeling anxious. This was the first time that Xiao Yun caught a glimpse of her eyes turning red, revealing a restless appearance. Unable to resist, she repeatedly stole glances at Chu Yu through the rearview mirror.

Upon noticing, Chu Yu furrowed her brow and reproachfully asked, "Why is it taking so long? How much longer until we arrive?"

Xiao Yun glanced at the maximum speed that had already been reached. "..."

Taking a moment to compose herself, she replied, "Your Majesty, the capital has speed limits, and this is already the highest speed within the legal range."

Chu Yu gritted her teeth.

She took a deep breath. "Contact the Ministry of Transportation and have them plan the route. I don't want to waste any more time on the way back!"

Xiao Yun nodded. "Yes!"

She didn't dare to act rashly anymore and silently lowered her head to issue the command.

Five minutes later, the royal convoy stopped in front of Shu Yanyan's residential area, lined up in a row.

It had been many years since the people of the imperial capital had seen such a spectacle. Those lucky enough to be nearby immediately opened their cameras and started recording.

However, they had no idea what exactly was happening and could only watch the screen with a perplexed expression.

On the other side, Chu Yu quickly got out of the car and led her team to the front door of Shu Yanyan's residence.

She took a deep breath and began knocking on the door. The door was quickly opened, but the person who appeared behind it was not the one she had been longing for.

"Why is it you?" Chu Yu furrowed her brow slightly. "Where is Yanyan?"

Little Guan Guan, with its head lowered, didn't dare to make a sound. "She's in the bathroom, it seems like she fainted! Please go and check on her quickly."

In fact, it had noticed something amiss a few minutes ago. After calling out to Shu Yanyan several times without a response, it was about to call for help. Fortunately, before making the call, it saw the royal convoy outside the window, so it stopped and came to wait by the door, opening it for Chu Yu as soon as possible.

Upon receiving this information, Chu Yu couldn't hold back any longer and made her way towards the bedroom.

Just as she reached the doorway, she caught a strong aroma of milk.

She stopped in her tracks, and the people behind her, including Xiao Yun, also hurriedly halted. Xiao Yun rubbed her nose and probably deduced the situation inside.

Chu Yu thought for a moment, then turned around and approached the bed. With great care, she picked up the sleeping little Yunmiao. She didn't have time to stay with the little girl for long and immediately turned back to hand her over to Xiao Yun, urgently instructing, "Hold her and wait for me outside the door."

Xiao Yun straightened her back. "I understand, Your Majesty."

As soon as she finished speaking, she swiftly turned around and led the rest of the team out of the apartment.

With little girl settled, Chu Yu finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Chu Yu tugged at the collar of her clothes, took a deep breath, and walked straight to the bathroom. Knowing that knocking on the door wouldn't be of any use, she simply reached out and forcefully turned the bathroom doorknob, detaching it from the latch.

It didn't take much effort for her to enter the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, the scent of milk was even stronger.

Chu Yu immediately spotted Shu Yanyan lying on the floor, and the scene that greeted her eyes made her heart tighten.

She hurried over and held the trembling Omega in her arms.

"Yanyan? Yanyan, are you awake?" she called out while reaching over to switch the cold water handle to the warm water side.

Soon, warm water replaced the cold water, gently sprinkling over both of them.

Shu Yanyan seemed to be startled awake and slowly opened her eyes in a dazed state.

"... Ah Qing?"

Seeing her wake up, Chu Yu felt joy mixed with a hint of bitterness.

Even now, she still couldn't remember the name "Shu Qing." But upon hearing Shu Yanyan's call, she instinctively felt guilty...

The longer Chu Yu stayed as the Emperor, the longer Shu Yanyan had been without her, without Shu Qing. How could she make up for the lost time?

"Yanyan, how do you feel?" 

Chu Yu asked in a hushed voice. She didn't dare to speak loudly, afraid of revealing her overwhelming emotions and scaring the small figure in her arms.

Shu Yanyan wrinkled her nose.

"I'm hot, I feel so hot..."

Chu Yu was taken aback.

In reality, Shu Yanyan was clearly trembling. Unfortunately, she couldn't even grasp that fact herself, still tormented by the waves of heat from her estrus.

Upon realizing that the water temperature had been raised, she even wanted to adjust it back to cold.

"I... I want cold water."

Chu Yu hurriedly held her hand down. She held Shu Yanyan tightly in her arms, wishing she could transfer her own body temperature to her.

"You can't have cold water, it's too cold, and you'll get sick." Chu Yu reasoned.

At this point, Shu Yanyan couldn't be reasoned with anymore.

Her eyes immediately reddened upon hearing those words. "You... you're b*llying me..."

Chu Yu gathered all of her long hair to her left shoulder, revealing the pink skin on the back of her neck—

Beneath the skin lay the glands that were tormenting Shu Yanyan.

"Mm, I'm in the wrong, it's all my fault. After everything is settled, I'll let Yanyan handle it however she wants. But for now, can Yanyan be a good girl? Please?"

Shu Yanyan didn't know what she was going to do, she just stared blankly at Chu Yu's eyes.

She was truly confused, completely unaware of the current situation, only feeling that the scene before her was both familiar and unfamiliar.

It was familiar because she had experienced so many similar intimate interactions with Shu Qing.

It was unfamiliar because...

Those memories were from nearly three years ago.

Shu Yanyan felt a surge of unwarranted grievance and pushed Chu Yu's shoulder, stubbornly turning her head away.

"I don't want to."

Chu Yu felt both anxious and helpless.

Shu Yanyan was currently in the midst of her estrus, and the only solution was to let her go through a marking process first. Not only would it make Shu Yanyan feel more comfortable, but it would also make it easier for Chu Yu to bring her back to the palace and take care of her properly.

However, at the moment, Shu Yanyan was squirming in her arms, making it difficult for Chu Yu to exert force and restrain her.

After a brief standoff, Chu Yu thought of another approach—

She released her hold on Shu Yanyan and helped her sit up, intending to move behind her and initiate the marking from there.

Shu Yanyan, who was currently dazed and weak, was in no position to defend herself from an attack from behind.

But things didn't go as smoothly as Chu Yu had imagined.

Just as she moved her body back a little, Shu Yanyan shook violently.

In the next moment, Shu Yanyan used both hands to tightly grab onto Chu Yu's clothes at her chest.

Confused, Chu Yu quickly asked, "...Yanyan, what's wrong?"

Shu Yanyan, with tearful eyes, stared at her intensely. "Where are you going?"

Chu Yu thought she had seen through her plan and tried to divert the topic. "I'm not going anywhere, Yanyan, please let go of me, be good."

But Shu Yanyan tightened her grip even more upon hearing that.

"I don't want to!"

Chu Yu felt a bit helpless.

But in the next moment, she heard Shu Yanyan's timid sobbing. "You, are you going to disappear again? No, no, Ah Qing, don't go, don't disappear again, please..."

Even though she was tormented by her estrus, even though she had no clear understanding of her current situation, what Shu Yanyan was most concerned about was still the whereabouts of Shu Qing.

Her pleading words struck directly at the depths of Chu Yu's soul. Even as the Emperor of a nation, Chu Yu felt a faint pain in her chest at that moment.

She embraced Shu Yanyan once again, lowering her head to gently kiss the top of her head.

"I'm not going anywhere. Yanyan, don't worry, I won't disappear again."

Shu Yanyan shed tears. "R-really?"

Chu Yu held her breath.

Knowing that Shu Yanyan could understand her words, she began to explain, "You're currently in your estrus phase, and I need to mark you first. Yanyan, please let me bite your gland. Once the heat in your body subsides, I'll take you and Yunmiao back to the palace."

Shu Yanyan understood what Chu Yu said, but her comprehension was still limited.

She latched onto the words she feared the most in Chu Yu's explanation and confirmed, "You want to bite me?"

Chu Yu nodded. "Yes, I have to mark you first."

Shu Yanyan started to cry again. "But if you bite me, it will hurt. I don't want it to hurt."

Chu Yu felt helpless.

She never wanted Shu Yanyan to experience pain. Even though she knew that marking was a normal behavior, seeing Shu Yanyan in her current state pained her greatly. She even began to doubt if her plan was truly the right course of action.

Perhaps... it would be better to bring her to the palace first and have a doctor prescribe medication?

As she hesitated, Chu Yu's brows lightly furrowed. Shu Yanyan, seeing her expression, suddenly stopped her tears.

She leaned closer and gently touched Chu Yu's cheek, feeling dissatisfied with the furrowed brows.

Shu Yanyan pouted. "Do you really want to bite me that badly?"

Chu Yu didn't understand. "Huh?"

"Don't be unhappy. I... I'll let you bite me."

Saying that, Shu Yanyan lowered her head and rested her chin on Chu Yu's shoulder, obediently exposing the gland at the back of her neck.

Chu Yu was stunned for a moment.

When she snapped out of it, tears had already welled up in her eyes, and her strength seemed to have inexplicably drained away.

She lowered her head and gently licked Shu Yanyan's gland before asking, "Yanyan, why are you so good to me?"

Shu Yanyan smelled Chu Yu's pheromones and didn't hesitate to respond.

"I... I like you."

Chu Yu's lips curled up. "'I' who?"

Shu Yanyan spoke up, "You, you are Shu Qing."

"And?"

Although a bit puzzled, Chu Yu felt a hint of jealousy in her heart. "'I' who?"

This question seemed to stump Shu Yanyan.

She was confused for a moment, then whispered, "You, you are Chu Yu, the Emperor."

Chu Yu asked, "Do you like Chu Yu?"

Shu Yanyan pouted.

"Can I?"

Chu Yu nodded. "Of course you can."

"Tell me, does Yanyan like Chu Yu?"

Shu Yanyan reached out and tightly held onto her hand, reciprocating her feelings.

"I like you, I like Chu Yu."

Chu Yu finally felt satisfied.

She slightly opened her mouth and bit down on the sensitive skin at the back of Shu Yanyan's neck, showing immense tenderness.

Five minutes later...

Xiao Yun saw the Emperor appear at the door and immediately rushed forward. However, she soon noticed the woman being cradled in Chu Yu's arms and abruptly halted her steps.

Shu Yanyan was wrapped in a blanket, already sound asleep, carefully protected in Chu Yu's embrace.

Xiao Yun kept her distance from the two of them and spoke, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has been urging us to return quickly."

Chu Yu nodded slightly. "Hmm, let's go."

Xiao Yun obeyed and also lifted the little Yunmiao in her arms.

"After we return... what will happen to this young girl?" she asked.

Upon seeing Yunmiao, Chu Yu's expression softened even more.

She thought for a moment and said, "Bring her to my mother. She will know what to do."

Although somewhat confused, Xiao Yun dutifully nodded. "Yes, I understand."

One of them carried Shu Yanyan, while the other held Yunmiao, and they returned to the carriage.

The carriage started again, merging into the dazzling starry flow of the capital, heading towards the palace.

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