NOVEL NEXT c25 - Social Death
The warm white floor lamp bathed the entire room in a cozy, tranquil glow.
The young alpha leaned her head against the bed edge, sleeping sweetly.
The light softened her features.
Making her entire facial contours appear even more gentle and harmless.
The alpha exuding fierceness last night seemed completely different from this slightly childish girl before her.
Consciousness quickly returned to her body.
Gu Junwan immediately felt that she was grasping the other’s hand.
They were sharing the same scorching body heat, which suddenly accelerated Gu Junwan’s heartbeat.
Her body’s sensations became sensitive.
She could even feel the roughness of the calluses on the alpha’s palm.
The warm snow cedar surrounding her enveloped her tightly like a small sun.
Her nose was filled with a reassuring scent.
Gu Junwan didn’t release her hand.
She raised her eyes slightly, again letting her gaze fall on the alpha’s profile.
The other’s hair by her ear was messy, and her ponytail hadn’t been undone.
In the halo of light, Gu Junwan saw a faint burn mark on Shen Han’s ear.
The stray hairs around her ear were also unnaturally twisted.
That must have been affected by the gas blast when the bullet was fired last night.
Thinking of this, the empress’s gaze immediately darkened a few shades.
It was time to settle the debts the Guo financial group had accumulated over the years, one by one!
Whether due to the empress’s sudden change in aura, or some other reason, the alpha resting at the bedside suddenly woke up.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she met the omega’s beautiful golden eyes.
Shen Han blinked, then abruptly sat up.
“Junwan, you’re awake! What happened yesterday was my lack of consideration, you—Ouch!”
Halfway through her sentence,
Shen Han slammed her head back to its original position.
She smiled awkwardly: “My leg fell asleep.”
The crisp snow cedar scent wafted over, carrying the young alpha’s husky just-woken voice, stirring the omega’s slightly sensitive nerves.
Since Shen Han had awakened, Gu Junwan felt too embarrassed to continue holding her hand.
She discreetly released her slender palm and sat up in bed.
Lifting the blanket, she got out of bed to help the alpha who couldn’t stand due to her numb leg.
The rich plum fragrance hidden in the blanket suddenly broke free from its restraints, sweeping towards Shen Han like an avalanche.
The alpha, whose leg was merely numb before, now felt her entire body tingling.
The gland on her neck throbbed.
The snow cedar army suddenly seemed to mutiny, surging forth one after another to hunt those cold plums that excited them.
Gu Junwan had just bent down when she sensed the alpha’s somewhat uncontrolled pheromones.
Her slender hand paused midair, her fair face gradually climbing with a tinge of red.
Shen Han covered the back of her neck with her hand.
She stammered an explanation: “It’s not—um, my leg won’t obey me.”
Hearing this, Gu Junwan found it quite amusing.
As if the other’s gland was on her leg.
At this moment, a gentle knock came from outside the bedroom door.
Then, Xu Zhao’s slightly inquiring voice came through the door: “Your Majesty, I’ve brought you a change of clothes.”
As soon as Shen Han spoke her first sentence, Xu Zhao knew the two in the bedroom had awakened.
She hadn’t slept all night, keeping watch outside the bedroom door.
After Shen Han fell asleep leaning on the bed edge, it was she who went in to dim the bedroom lights.
“I’ll be out soon.”
After responding to her assistant, Gu Junwan then supported Shen Han’s arm, helping her sit on the edge of the bed.
“Then I’ll go wash up first.”
“Okay, okay, you go first, I’ll change clothes and come out.”
Gu Junwan stood up and left the bedroom.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, the young alpha immediately pulled the blanket over, enveloping herself in the darkness filled with cold plum scent.
Sleeping in the same bedroom with Gu Junwan last night, opening her eyes to see her again in the morning.
And that final exchange like a cohabiting couple.
All of this delighted Shen Han.
She laughed softly under the blanket.
Rolling back and forth where Gu Junwan had lain, as happy as a fish jumping from the shore back into the sea.
But just then, Gu Junwan suddenly remembered something and returned, gently turning the bedroom doorknob.
“Shen Han, your ear—”
Her melodious voice abruptly stopped as she had barely begun.
She froze at the doorway, staring at the turbulent blanket, listening to the young alpha’s muffled laughter.
For a moment, she didn’t know whether to quietly leave or to finish her sentence as if nothing had happened.
The instant she heard Gu Junwan’s voice, Shen Han under the blanket immediately felt a sense of social death.
Her legs curled slightly.
Her toes were so embarrassed they could dig out a one-bedroom apartment.
…
After washing up and changing clothes, the three sat around the dining table for breakfast.
The meal had been prepared in advance by Xu Zhao’s arrangements.
The overall taste was mild, but very nutritionally balanced.
Shen Han’s injured ear had been carefully tended to by Gu Junwan.
Now, she had a small bandage above her left ear, looking like a fashionable accessory worn by trendy girls.
Gu Junwan noticed she hadn’t dared to look up at her.
Knowing she must still be embarrassed about the morning incident.
The empress’s red lips curved slightly, and after some thought, she picked up a slice of beef from her bowl and placed it in the other’s dish.
Shen Han accepted without refusal, eating whatever Gu Junwan put on her plate.
Xu Zhao, silently drinking porridge on the side, caught this scene in her peripheral vision, her eyelids twitching non-stop.
Fortunately, her glasses hid it, making it not easily noticeable.
She never imagined that her empress, known for her cleanliness, would pick food from her own bowl for someone else!
The key was, that alpha’s reaction was so natural.
As if they had done this many times before.
After finishing breakfast together, Gu Junwan had to go to the office to work.
Neither of them mentioned much about what happened at the bar last night.
Shen Han knew that Miss Gu had caught the knife she had tossed over.
The upcoming battlefield no longer had anything to do with her, the fuse.
Indeed, this was the case.
That shooting incident, if the surveillance footage was carefully examined, Shen Han’s small actions would be easily exposed.
But whether she fired the gun or Captain Huang did, this question was no longer important.
The Supervisory Group had already used the shooting case as a reason to start investigating, with justified reasons and compliant procedures.
Under the raid, they had major gains in just one night.
As soon as Gu Junwan sat down in her office, she began summoning relevant responsible persons one by one.
All morning long, the staff in the administrative office area were so busy their feet barely touched the ground, everyone replacing walking with jogging.
And the officials of various levels entering and exiting the empress’s office never had a moment’s pause.
In extraordinary times, thunderbolt measures must be adopted.
Since Gu Junwan had chosen to act, she would strike the Guo family so they could never rise again.
She couldn’t possibly eradicate all problematic financial groups.
So, this time’s killing the chicken to warn the monkey had to be done swiftly, accurately, and decisively.
3 PM.
Gu Junwan rubbed her brow, saying to Xu Zhao who was flipping through files nearby: “Ask Instructor Liu to come over.”
Xu Zhao stood up, refilling the empress’s long-empty cup with hot water.
Only then did she walk outside to call Instructor Liu.
Instructor Liu rushed into the office.
Before Gu Junwan could speak, he had already started with a woeful face: “Your Majesty, for the trouble the alphas caused this time, I, as their instructor, bear inescapable responsibility.”
“Rest assured, I’ll definitely discipline them well afterward. They’re writing self-criticisms now. Your Majesty, please be lenient!”
All morning, Instructor Liu had been extremely anxious.
The entire compound was in such an uproar, with arrests and interrogations, everyone feeling like a sword was hanging over their head.
He figured, since last night’s bar shooting incident was so big, and it was caused by people under his command,
Strictly speaking, the entire prospective guard team was culpable.
The only method he could think of now was to take the initiative to admit fault.
If all else failed, he’d bring up Shen Han’s name to plead for mercy.
Hoping the empress would give a light punishment for old times’ sake.
Gu Junwan looked at his sheepish expression, feeling both exasperated and amused.
“Did I say the guard team did anything wrong?”
Hearing this, Instructor Liu immediately caught on.
“So Your Majesty means, you won’t punish them?”
Gu Junwan sighed lightly, pretending to acquiesce: “If Instructor Liu insists I punish them, then—”
“Ah, no! I didn’t mean that! Oh, right, Your Majesty, you called me here for important matters, didn’t you? It’s all my fault for rambling, interrupting your train of thought.”
After this small joke, Gu Junwan immediately got down to business.
“Instructor Liu, I want you to lead the prospective guard team members to depart immediately for a month of intensive training at the Sixth District border before returning.”
After Instructor Liu left, Xu Zhao couldn’t control her curiosity and asked softly: “Your Majesty, why are you sending them so far away for special training?”
Facing her trusted aide, Gu Junwan had nothing to conceal.
“After all, the incident was caused by Shen Han and the other two. Now that I’m making sweeping moves against the Guo family, they can’t retaliate against me, but might vent their anger on others.”
“The Sixth District has almost no Guo family influence. Putting them there is safer.”
Hearing her empress’s explanation, Xu Zhao tactfully didn’t ask further.
She knew the empress had only told half the truth.
After all, in terms of safety, what could be safer than staying in the compound?
Her empress must not want that alpha to worry too much.
Because in the coming month, the bloody storm about to be unleashed would be no less intense than a real battlefield.
Countless dirty scabs were about to be ripped open.
Many would die on this smokeless battlefield.
The moment just before dawn always seems especially dark.