Chapter 3

Ye Chengxing never imagined that right after she finished speaking, the car would lift straight into the air.

Though the phone had looked a bit strange earlier, she’d still regarded this world deep down as much like the one she’d come from. After all, at first glance, it didn’t seem all that different from the life she’d known.

But she truly hadn’t expected cars in this world to fly!

Ye Chengxing gazed out the window, her mind drifting in a daze. No wonder this was an ABO world—the technology was incredibly advanced…

Thanks to that, they reached the hospital in no time.

Notably, before Ye Chengxing could even complete the payment, the driver had landed swiftly, ushered them out, and sped away without a backward glance, as if fleeing some ferocious flood beast.

Fortunately, she’d scanned the payment code just before stepping out. Now, watching the screen whirl a few times before “Payment Successful” appeared, she finally relaxed and pocketed her phone.

Drivers had a tough time making ends meet. Though she had no idea why he’d bolted in such terror, she still wanted to ensure he got every cent he was owed.

By now, it was very late, so Ye Chengxing carried Li Jia straight to the emergency room.

Everywhere they passed, they trailed the omega’s blatantly erratic pheromones—sweet and alluring like ripe peaches, irresistibly tempting. As the one holding Li Jia, Ye Chengxing felt their potent draw most acutely.

She clenched her teeth without thinking, shoving down the unwelcome thoughts the omega’s pheromones had stirred in her.

Once inside the examination room, the doctor’s gaze swept over them, pausing briefly before shifting away.

Ye Chengxing was well aware of how provocatively misleading their appearances must look. Earlier, passing a glass door in the hospital, she’d caught sight of their reflection by chance and realized her shoulder was a bloody mess. Li Jia, cradled in her arms and draped in a jacket that revealed only her slender legs, had been breathing so faintly it was almost undetectable.

Ye Chengxing gently laid Li Jia on the bed. The doctor approached and drew back part of the jacket covering the omega.

With the jacket pulled aside, the sight of Li Jia’s flushed face and provocative, lingerie-like attire made the situation plain without needing a thorough check. The doctor’s gaze turned to Ye Chengxing, laced with veiled contempt and accusation, her tone sharpening. “Family of the patient, please wait outside.”

She bit down hard on the word “family.”

Unable to explain the full story, Ye Chengxing merely rubbed her nose awkwardly and obediently took a seat on the long bench lining the corridor.

While waiting, she sifted through the original host’s memories that the System had transmitted to her.

Though the original host’s mother had died when she was young, she’d left behind a vast fortune and substantial company shares. The entire Ye Family had spoiled her rotten as a result, and the original host’s behavior had grown ever more willful.

At first, it was merely willful—nowhere near depraved.

But as those around her differentiated one by one while she lingered without entering her differentiation period, amid endless gossip, her personality began to warp.

Normally, the differentiation period hit around fifteen or sixteen. Yet the original host hadn’t experienced hers even by age twenty. Irritated and restless, she took to haunting bars, where she befriended Zhang Shanle and others.

Led by them, the original host discovered a whole new world. Undifferentiated, she could only watch, not join in. So she began presenting herself as utterly gentle, appearing at the lowest points of those desperately seeking salvation. Then she waited—until they trusted her completely—before plotting to shatter it all with her own hands. The mere thought of their incredulous expressions filled her with exhilarating pleasure, melting away her inner turmoil.

And then came the present. Just two days before turning twenty-one, the original host finally entered her differentiation period, becoming an alpha. Her cronies showered her with congratulations and promised a special gift.

That gift was Li Jia.

…

The driver’s fear upon seeing Ye Chengxing had a simple cause: her face was infamous in those parts. Every cab driver working the area made a point to memorize it.

This glittering district, where land cost a fortune, was prime territory for these spoiled heirs. To thrive in business here, you had to know the faces you couldn’t afford to offend—lest you cross one someday.

Among those untouchables, Ye Chengxing’s name rang loudest. She’d prowled this area the longest, and rumors abounded: she toyed with hearts, harbored bizarre tastes, and more.

For drivers, skipping one fare was no big loss—another would come along. But picking up this ride? One misstep en route, and you were finished. Especially someone like Ye Chengxing: powerful, deceptively mild-mannered, twisted inside. Who knew what she might do?

Having pieced together the memories, Ye Chengxing glanced at the Buddhist beads encircling her wrist, a wave of bitter irony washing over her.

The System had been right, though: the plot hadn’t kicked off yet. Her arrival was perfectly timed—the original host hadn’t committed anything irredeemable.

No wonder Zhang Shanle hadn’t batted an eye much when she’d mentioned calling the police. She’d just paused and said, “Haven’t you tired of that script yet?” before asking if it was time to reel them in. It all clicked now.

Those lingering questions cleared up completely.

Ye Chengxing toyed with the Buddhist beads, unable to stop herself from cursing inwardly once more.

The late-night hospital corridor stood nearly deserted, heavy with the sharp tang of disinfectant. After half an hour, the examination room door swung open at last.

The sound cut sharply through the hush. Ye Chengxing shot to her feet.

She turned to the nurse wheeling out the medical cart. “Excuse me—how is the patient doing?”

The nurse glanced her way. “She’s stable now. You can come in.”

Ye Chengxing exhaled in relief and stepped inside.

“We’ve administered a suppressant and a fever-reducing injection,” the doctor said, peeling off her gloves. Her tone was flat but firm, stressing “can’t leave” as she continued. “She needs to stay for observation a few days to ensure no more fever spikes. And there’d better not be a next time—this arrival was timely, but another episode would inflict grave harm on an omega’s body.”

Clearly, she feared Ye Chengxing might spirit Li Jia away heedless of her health, pegging her as one of those depraved alphas.

“That’s a relief.” Ye Chengxing shifted her gaze to the bed.

The omega’s flush had faded, leaving her face pale. Eyes closed, she appeared to be sleeping peacefully, her breaths light and even.

As Ye Chengxing watched, her lips curved gently of their own accord.

At least this way, Li Jia wouldn’t have to endure that night of utter despair and agony from the original book.

The doctor caught the moment, a flicker of conflict stirring within her. Pretty as this alpha was, she didn’t seem like good news. Still, spotting the wound on Ye Chengxing’s shoulder compelled her professional instincts. “Do you need that bandaged?”

Ye Chengxing had nearly forgotten it herself. She pondered for two seconds. “Yes, please. Thank you, Doctor.”

The doctor’s inner turmoil deepened at her courteous reply, but she held her tongue. Hospitals brimmed with human failings; one couldn’t police them all.

Once the wound was dressed, the doctor departed.

Ye Chengxing barely registered the pain in her shoulder as she headed downstairs to complete the admission paperwork.

In that brief interval, Li Jia had woken by the time she returned.

The standard-issue gown hung loose on the omega’s frame, making her look like a dandelion seedhead poised to scatter on the breeze—frail beyond measure, slender to the point of fragility.

Hearing the door, she lifted her head.

Li Jia narrowed her eyes, first silently mapping the room’s layout before settling her gaze on Ye Chengxing.

In her delirium, she’d dismissed it as a pre-death hallucination, inwardly scoffing at her own pathetic flicker of hope for rescue by an alpha. Yet here she was, truly in a hospital, heart thundering in her chest.

Even stranger: the alpha standing before her had long since died by her blade.

Li Jia eyed the bandage on Ye Chengxing’s shoulder, recalling the delirious bite she’d sunk in. A smile bloomed suddenly on her face.

In those scant seconds, realization dawned—

She had been reborn.

Reborn to the moment before it all began.

How…

Li Jia nearly let out a low laugh she could barely contain.

How delightfully intriguing.

She had actually been reborn.

Ye Chengxing regarded Li Jia, struck by the peculiar strangeness in her expression moments ago. But in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

Perhaps she was still shaken from earlier events. The thought tugged at Ye Chengxing’s heart. “You’ve had the suppressant and fever-reducing injection, Li Jia. You’re safe now—you’re away from that place. Don’t be afraid.”

At the sound of her voice, Li Jia bowed her head.

Hidden from Ye Chengxing’s view, the omega’s pupils quivered wildly with exhilaration.

The alpha’s voice was mild as polished jade. Li Jia couldn’t help replaying the scene in her mind: Ye Chengxing dying beneath her knife, robbed of speech, reduced to guttural gasps, eyes frozen wide in unrelenting agony.

Memory and reality intertwined, and Li Jia’s lips arched into a vast, joyous curve.

If memory served, though, events weren’t unfolding as they should at this juncture.

Could it be… her rebirth had already altered the course?

Seeing no reply from Li Jia, Ye Chengxing’s own heart ached in sympathy.

The original plot that the System had shown her lingered vividly—a complete novel, complete with reader comments.

【This villain called Li Jia is so gross… When does she get her boxed lunch?】

【Can I even say it? Her whole blackening arc felt so random and unearned. She was the one who trusted people too easily in the first place—reading that made me want to hurl. Just get off the stage already.】

【Way too selfish. The villain’s just wallowing in her own misery so much that she can’t stand seeing anyone else happy. Why can’t she be a little kinder, a little more magnanimous?】

And when the chapter came where Li Jia plummeted from the skyscraper, the comments were a shower of celebrations and confetti.

【This damn villain finally got her bento. So satisfying.】

【I’ve been sick of her for ages. Never liked her.】

【Thank goodness the explosion plot didn’t kick off. Li Jia was straight-up vicious—shoutout to that little girl with the candy.】

【Honestly, I don’t think Li Jia even had any humanity left… You could tell from that whole arc where she abused, tortured, and murdered the people who’d wronged her. Normal people don’t roll like that.】

【Big like to the one above. Li Jia was a total psycho. She got what she deserved—now everybody’s happy she’s gone.】

Staring at those comments, Ye Chengxing had genuinely wanted to fire back at every single one. But she could only read; she couldn’t reply. The entire book that the System had copied over for her was frozen in place, unchangeable.

What did “got what she deserved” even mean? If they had a choice, who in their right mind would pick a fate like that?

Every time Ye Chengxing recalled the comments under the original book, a sharp pain stabbed at her heart. She had figured the real scum—the ones who’d committed those vile acts at the very beginning—would take the brunt of the hate. She never imagined Li Jia would end up the most reviled, the one torn apart the worst.

The very thought left her feeling suffocated. Sure, she had only transmigrated into this book, but the Li Jia standing before her now was no longer just lines of text on a page. She was a living, breathing person who could feel pain, sorrow, and heartbreak.

What had she done so wrong? How had she become “someone who deserved it” in the eyes of all those readers?

Anger and grief twisted inside Ye Chengxing. She drew in a deep breath, forcing the emotions down before they could show on her face. At the same time, her resolve hardened even further. She would heal Li Jia. She wouldn’t let her go through any more of that filth. And she would fill the space around her with fresh flowers, brimming with love and sincerity.

Just as Ye Chengxing opened her mouth to speak again, the omega who had been lying so quietly on the hospital bed finally raised her head.

Having just received the suppressant and fever-reducing injection, Li Jia still carried a fragile, sickly air about her that made her look all the more pitiable—like a willow branch swaying in the breeze of early spring, slender yet resilient.

She gazed at Ye Chengxing, a flicker of unease in her eyes. Her teeth grazed her lower lip before releasing it, leaving the soft flesh flushed a vivid crimson. “Was it you who saved me? Why? I have nothing to offer in return…”

Li Jia’s voice was soft and measured, her words as gentle as a lamb’s. But deep down, her thoughts churned with malice.

No one knew better than she did—reborn as she was—just how rotten this alpha truly was. The words and expression she had just put on were sure to stir the perverse urges lurking beneath that facade of kindness.

Even though events were unfolding differently this time around from her previous life, it didn’t matter.

If this life’s Ye Chengxing had changed her tune because of Li Jia’s face, then Li Jia would simply carve it off. If it was this omega body she craved, then Li Jia would gouge out her glands.

She wouldn’t just deny the woman everything she wanted—she would exact a steep price into the bargain.

These people who had humiliated her? In her last life, they had begged and pleaded pitifully as they died beneath her blade. In this life, not a single one would escape.