Chapter 59

Ye Chengxing had decided she’d never become a doctor in this lifetime, yet her visits to the hospital hadn’t diminished much at all.

Li Jia simply got injured or ran into trouble far too often.

In a daze, Ye Chengxing suddenly realized that this frequency was almost identical to the original plot, even though the reasons for Li Jia’s hospital visits now differed from those in the original storyline.

Fortunately, although Li Jia was covered in blood, the only actual injury was to the palm of her right hand. Lin Xuan and the others had sustained worse wounds and had already been taken away by people from the Supervisory Bureau.

Ye Chengxing lowered her eyes. That sudden thought prompted her to carefully review the timeline, and the more she recalled the plot, the more the incidents lined up perfectly.

The realization left her uneasy, especially since the System hadn’t reappeared afterward—as if something had gone wrong with it.

Yet in truth, she’d already altered much of the original plot.

Even so, changing the plot only gave rise to new developments. For instance, Lin Que’s nephew had never been mentioned at all in the original book, yet here he was today, showing up in the most unforeseen circumstances, as though some inexorable force was dragging the story back onto its rails.

Still, no matter the changes, nothing should lead to Li Jia’s full descent into darkness.

After all, the “Ye Chengxing” from the original book had been the final straw for Li Jia. But now she had arrived in this world, erasing that pivotal segment entirely. Without that key catalyst for her blackening, Li Jia should never follow the original path.

With that thought, Ye Chengxing’s heart eased a little.

As long as the blackening plot never unfolded, the fatal ending from the later stages shouldn’t come to pass either.

Once the glass shards had been cleared out, the Omega’s right-hand wound was treated quickly. Still, she looked utterly disheveled, her clothes splattered with blood in many places. Ye Chengxing had her assistant bring over a change of clothes, and the doctor arranged a temporary room for them.

The blood on Ye Chengxing’s hands had come from holding Li Jia’s—just a bit on her palms. After washing them clean, she looked at Li Jia, who stood obediently to one side, and hesitated.

Li Jia met her gaze, as if sensing her reluctance, and looked away. Her voice was soft. “…If Sister doesn’t want to help, I’ll manage on my own.”

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and pursed her lips uncomfortably. “After all, if anyone else touches me, it makes me feel sick.”

She turned back then, locking eyes with Ye Chengxing once more.

The Omega clearly didn’t want to trouble her and forced a smile. “Don’t mind what I said. I can handle it myself—it’s no big deal. I do need Sister right now… but like you said, we have to keep our distance. I can’t rely on you forever. There will be more and more times when I need you but you’re not around. I have to get used to it, bit by bit.”

She was smiling, but it looked painful, strained to the breaking point.

Ye Chengxing flushed at the memory of her own words from not even half an hour ago: “As long as you need me, I’ll always be here.”

Past traumas had made it nearly impossible for Li Jia to trust anyone. Ye Chengxing couldn’t squander the fragile faith she’d finally begun to offer.

More than that, she couldn’t let Li Jia handle it alone. Li Jia always downplayed her pain and would likely only make things worse.

She understood all this on a rational level, yet her emotions tangled into something she couldn’t quite name. She’d helped Li Jia this way before, but circumstances had been different then. The situations might have been similar, but at least she’d been aboveboard, with nothing to hide. Now…

Ye Chengxing reined in her scattered thoughts. This wasn’t the time for hesitation.

She cleared her throat softly and agreed, though her voice came out quieter than intended.

Li Jia sighed upon hearing it. “It’s fine. I know you don’t want to. Really, don’t force yourself.”

Ye Chengxing panicked inwardly—this was getting out of hand. She rushed to correct her. “No, no, I do want to. Really, I want to very much.”

As she spoke, she grabbed Li Jia’s clean clothes and tugged her toward the shower. “No time like the present. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

They entered together, but Li Jia still seemed downcast.

Ye Chengxing’s gaze flickered. The Omega stood close beside her without meeting her eyes.

Good news: The air between them held no hint of ambiguity, nothing like the overly intimate vibe she’d feared earlier.

Bad news: No ambiguity, true—but this stiffness was almost worse.

After a beat, Ye Chengxing rolled up her sleeves. “Let’s start by getting those bloodstained clothes off you.”

The Omega’s skin was fair, her lips naturally red. The blood made her look wretched, yet it lent her an oddly captivating allure.

Her lovely eyes, like glass beads, flicked toward Ye Chengxing. Then Li Jia turned her body slightly and looked away. “It’s okay, Sister. My right palm’s the only real wound. The bumps and scrapes on my left arm don’t hurt—they won’t get in the way. I can do it myself.”

Ye Chengxing’s movements stilled. After a long moment, she murmured, “All right, I’ll turn around then.”

She couldn’t help thinking she was being ridiculous.

When Li Jia had asked for help, she’d felt awkward. Now that Li Jia had backed off, the awkwardness gnawed at her even more.

Li Jia’s palm surely still stung, making it awkward to undress with one hand. Though Ye Chengxing’s back was turned and she couldn’t see, she heard the Omega pause now and then, faint, suppressed breaths escaping her.

After two seconds of internal debate, Ye Chengxing couldn’t bear it. “Actually… maybe I should still help?”

Li Jia stayed silent. Rustling fabric filled the air once more. After a while, her voice came. “Sister, you can turn around now.”

Ye Chengxing made a soft sound of acknowledgment and faced her again. Her breath caught.

Faint, ethereal wisps of peach scent had woven into the air at some point.

The Omega had shed her school uniform jacket. A few buttons on her shirt were undone, baring a stretch of snow-white waist. Higher up, she’d clearly struggled with the rest—marks of her efforts remained, but the buttons held fast.

Ye Chengxing looked away, avoiding any prolonged glance at Li Jia. She extended her fingertips and deftly undid the stubborn buttons. “For your pants, rest your hand on me. I’ll steady you… then you can slide them off.”

Li Jia assented and laid her hand on Ye Chengxing’s shoulder.

Ye Chengxing tried to keep her eyes unfocused, but as Li Jia leaned forward, her hair swayed. Ye Chengxing caught sight of the Pheromone Blocker Patch on the Omega’s nape, dotted with a few pure white stars.

The open shirt softened her silhouette; only her butterfly bones protruded faintly. Fabric slipped from one shoulder, exposing silken skin.

Ye Chengxing lifted a hand to shield her eyes.

The atmosphere hadn’t shaken off its prior rigidity entirely, yet something new and ineffable had begun to stir within it.

“Sister, I’m all undressed now.”

Li Jia’s voice near her ear yanked Ye Chengxing back to the moment.

The bloodied garments lay discarded nearby.

Ye Chengxing turned on the shower and meticulously rinsed every inch of the Omega’s blood-touched skin.

The bathroom fell quiet, save for the steady rush of water and their breaths.

Ye Chengxing bit her lip. The gland at her nape began to throb uncomfortably once more.

…Almost done. Good.

She steadied her breathing discreetly, fetched a dry towel to pat Li Jia down, then reached for the fresh clothes.

Aside from occasional tugs at Ye Chengxing’s clothes from the fingertips on her shoulder, Li Jia had remained still and silent. Only now did her lashes quiver faintly. “Already finished?”

Ye Chengxing nodded, motioning for her to lift her arms. She helped her into the clothes and straightened everything.

Once done, Ye Chengxing avoided her gaze. “You head out first. I’ll clean up in here.”

Li Jia didn’t budge.

Ye Chengxing’s body rebelled more fiercely now—heart pounding, mind swimming in dizziness.

Her sense of Li Jia sharpened unbearably.

The Omega’s pheromones hung so faintly in the air. She craved… more. Thicker, richer.

Dazed, Ye Chengxing recognized the harbinger of her susceptible period.

She couldn’t predict the precise onset, but it absolutely shouldn’t be today. Not now.

Her susceptible period had arrived early.

No—if this kept up…

Remembering the suppressant in her coat pocket, Ye Chengxing spun toward the door. “If you need to fix your clothes, go ahead. I’ll step out.”

The Omega seized her arm in that instant, concern lacing her words.

“Sister, are you feeling unwell?”

She pressed close from behind, her skin still warm and damp, breath feather-light.

Ye Chengxing’s respiration stuttered. A shiver of numbness raced from their point of contact, unbidden. Li Jia’s nearness soothed the ache in body and mind for a fleeting moment—then amplified it tenfold.

…Why did it have to hit right here, right in front of Li Jia?

It screamed the truth: her presence had triggered it.

She drew a steadying breath, forcing calm into her tone. “My susceptible period seems to be starting. Xiao Li, stay put. I’ll go inject some suppressant.”

Li Jia turned to her, grip tightening imperceptibly. “Don’t move, Sister. I’ll fetch it for you.”

With that, she headed out of the bathroom. Ye Chengxing’s thoughts fractured further; she nodded, words stumbling out. “That… works. Uh… in my coat pocket…”

Li Jia reached the doorway.

She picked up Ye Chengxing’s coat. Sure enough, the Alpha suppressant waited in the pocket.

Li Jia eyed it.

Carrying it everywhere lately?

Ye Chengxing waited but heard no footsteps returning.

She shook her head, heat surging, and rasped, “Not… found it yet?”

“Found it, Sister. Hold on—just a second.” Li Jia grabbed the suppressant and reentered.

Relief washed over Ye Chengxing at the sight. “You got it. Perfect.”

Li Jia replied, ever accommodating. “Let me inject it for you, Sister. Your fingers are shaking.”

Ye Chengxing was just about to nod when she shook her head instead. She met Li Jia’s gaze. Enduring the sensations brought on by her susceptible period, her breathing was erratic, yet her tone remained gentle. “Your hand is still injured. You couldn’t even undo the buttons earlier, so let me do it…”

Her tone sounded no different from usual.

But the Alpha pheromones that Li Jia sensed told a different story.

She looked at Ye Chengxing and gently licked her lips.

…Pheromones during susceptible period smelled so enticing.

She had once thought that an Alpha’s susceptible period was utterly disgusting. But now she realized it all depended on the person. When it came to her Ye Chengxing, she loved it.

Li Jia eyed the hand Ye Chengxing had extended toward her and pulled the other woman right up close, their breaths mingling in the scant space between them. “I really couldn’t undo the buttons earlier, but now I can help Sis inject the suppressant.”

Ye Chengxing paused, her sluggish mind still struggling to connect how Li Jia couldn’t manage the buttons before but could now administer an injection. Then she felt the Omega’s fingertips brush over the nape of her neck. “Sis, let me brush your hair aside.”

She couldn’t help but grab Li Jia’s wrist, halting the motion. A faint blush colored the Alpha’s face, her awareness already fraying at the edges. The mere touch released a trace of her pheromones.

Ye Chengxing felt her hair being lifted aside. It took her two seconds to react. “…Thanks, Xiao Li.”

“Sis forgot again. You can’t say thanks.” Li Jia sighed at Ye Chengxing’s words, even as the corners of her lips curved upward.

Ye Chengxing roused her foggy mind to think it over. “Ah, you’re right—I did forget. Let me see… After saying thanks, it’s a hug, isn’t it?”

“That’s right,” Li Jia replied. She took out the suppressant and, without a hint of notice, pushed more than half the dose from the syringe into the sink behind Ye Chengxing. Smiling brightly, she added, “Sis should hug me instead.”

Ye Chengxing drew her gently into an embrace, her voice muffled and indistinct. “After Xiao Li injects the suppressant, head out and lock me in. Susceptible Alphas seem pretty dangerous…”

She murmured the words softly.

The injection was done. A few beads of blood welled up at the injection site on her skin, like the heart of a petal.

Li Jia lifted her fingertip to wipe that small patch of skin. It came away stained crimson, along with the Alpha’s oolong tea-scented pheromones.

She had already discarded more than half the suppressant before injecting.

A full dose would bring quick clarity. Too little would do nothing at all. But somewhere in between, it would plunge a susceptible Alpha into a half-dazed slumber.

Li Jia gently licked her fingertip, tinged with the Alpha’s pheromones, then pulled Ye Chengxing even closer.

The Alpha’s hands were as exquisite as their owner—slender fingers with distinct knuckles, the pale white of fine jade, like art too perfect to touch.

She had already felt a deep stirring of desire back when she’d helped wash her earlier.

Now, with this beginning, it was as if sparks had ignited in clusters all throughout her.

The pheromone blocker patch was peeled back just a little. In the bathroom, their pheromones wove together in an amorous haze.

The faint trickle of water near her ear sharpened with every teasing slide and rub.

She clamped her legs a bit tighter, mirroring the intimacy of their closest embrace.

Ye Chengxing’s pheromones carried the mellow aroma of tea—subtle and serene—yet they were her addiction, her deepest craving.

Li Jia turned her gaze to the mirror.

The Omega’s eyes shimmered at the corners like the blush of roses. The Alpha cradled in her arms lay half-asleep, uncomfortable from her susceptible period, instinctively depending on her without conscious thought—depending on her alone.

She admired the sight for a moment, then couldn’t suppress a smile. Her voice came out in a breathy whisper, tender and sweet. “Susceptible Alphas really are dangerous…”