Chapter 41: Reward
“…No, no.”
Jiang Mi shook her head. Perhaps feeling that her reaction was too strong, she lowered her head and said, “You should take a nap. See if you can bring your temperature down.”
Yan Wei looked at her wearily. “Jiang Mi, have I ever told you? When you’re in front of me, your acting is terrible.”
Jiang Mi: “Is that why you’ve never praised me?”
Yan Wei paused. She suddenly found it funny. No, it should be said, cute.
Jiang Mi’s reaction was really cute, wasn’t it?
What was it like?
Like a puppy.
“Jiang Mi.”
Jiang Mi looked up, waiting for the rest of her words.
Yan Wei said, “You’re very cute.”
Jiang Mi was silent for a moment, then lowered her eyes and replied to this rare praise, “Thank you.”
Actually, a sick Yan Wei is also quite… cute.
Yan Wei’s breath was scorching hot. She stared at Yan Wei for a few seconds, then closed her eyes. She was now enjoying Jiang Mi’s service.
The towel in Jiang Mi’s hand was slightly cool as she gently wiped Yan Wei’s forehead and neck.
Yan Wei was wearing underwear, but she would occasionally touch it by accident, which would make her hand flinch. After finally avoiding it, and in the increasingly heavy breathing, she finished with the upper body. She found that the real challenge had just begun.
When it came to her legs, Jiang Mi’s movements were even lighter and more cautious, as if she were afraid of startling something.
The cool touch brushed against Yan Wei’s tense calf muscles, and her body trembled almost imperceptibly.
Jiang Mi’s back was also invaded by a thin layer of sweat.
The internet said that to cool down, you could wipe the places with major arteries, such as the neck, armpits, and the base of the thighs…
But was it also possible not to wipe all of them?
Jiang Mi took a deep breath and was about to try again, but the hand holding the towel had just fallen again. But this time, Yan Wei’s body trembled violently, and her knees subconsciously pressed inward.
Hot.
Jiang Mi subconsciously looked up and was shocked. Yan Wei, who had been closing her eyes, had opened them at some point.
Those eyes were exceptionally dark in the hot steam, shimmering with moisture. Her face was flushed, and she was staring straight at her.
“How about…”
Jiang Mi bit her lip, her hand still not leaving.
Yan Wei’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Those two scorching gazes seemed to slowly melt, with a vague weariness, and she looked at Jiang Mi silently for a few seconds. Then, the legs that were restraining Jiang Mi suddenly relaxed, opening slightly, as if in some kind of tacit approval.
Yan Wei’s voice was even hoarser. “Wipe yours.”
She knew what she craved, but at this moment, that hidden desire was being consumed by the continuous high fever and exhaustion. Even maintaining a trace of sobriety was difficult.
So she was even more uncomfortable, and the violence in her body was even more intense.
But at the same time, the Alpha’s milky scent was constantly soothing her.
Just like that, it was pulling her, luring her, making her tremble, and at the same time, comforting her.
Jiang Mi felt that the clothes on her back were completely wet.
It would be best if one of them lost consciousness right now, otherwise, things might go in an unpredictable direction.
Other things didn’t matter. Yan Wei was just too weak right now.
Jiang Mi took a deep breath. “…You should sleep. Get a good night’s sleep, and you’ll be fine when you wake up.”
Her voice was deliberately low and gentle, almost a whisper.
Yan Wei was indeed too tired. Her spirit had been drained to the extreme, and her physical strength was almost negative.
She closed her eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep. But even though she was asleep, she couldn’t sleep peacefully because of the high fever, and her brow was always tightly furrowed.
Jiang Mi wanted Yan Wei to sleep better. She stopped her movements, knelt beside Yan Wei, and gently massaged her temples.
Only after Yan Wei’s breathing had deepened did Jiang Mi pick up the towel again and, tirelessly, wipe the sweat from her skin, once, twice.
Wiping Yan Wei’s leg again, a strange, cool, and moist sensation suddenly seeped through the thin fabric onto the back of her hand.
Jiang Mi’s movements paused. She looked at Yan Wei in surprise, but the person hadn’t woken up.
She slowly withdrew her hand. She lowered her eyes and looked at her slightly damp hand. There were no words, only her wildly beating heart reminding her—this was not a dream.
She swallowed, only to find that her throat was already extremely dry.
Jiang Mi listened to the once again irregular breathing, paused for a few seconds, and then refocused on wiping.
The towel moved back and forth between the cold water and the warm skin. Every time it was soaked, wrung out, placed, and wiped, it was repeated and meticulous, extremely silent and careful.
The dampness and repeated force made the skin on her knuckles turn a layer of white.
After who knows how long, after she had carefully wiped Yan Wei’s forehead for the umpteenth time, the scorching heat finally subsided a little.
Only then did she belatedly realize the stiffness in her spine and the soreness in her arms. Now it was her who was soaked.
Jiang Mi looked at Yan Wei quietly for a while. The sleeping Omega had truly put away all her thorns at this moment. She was closing her eyes, so soft it was unbelievable.
It made one want to reach out and touch her face.
Then, Jiang Mi reached out and gently pushed aside the small, dry strands of hair by Yan Wei’s forehead. She said softly, “Have a good dream… sister.”
**
The silence of the deep night was like a thick layer of black velvet, enveloping the entire space.
Yan Wei opened her eyes in the chaotic darkness. Her body, after the high fever had subsided, was left with a weak fatigue, but her mind was exceptionally clear.
She almost instantly cast her gaze to the floor.
After adjusting to the light, the moonlight fell through the gap in the not-fully-drawn curtains, casting a cold, white light on the floor. In this dimness, her gaze vaguely outlined the curled-up figure by the sofa.
Yan Wei couldn’t see clearly. She slowly sat up from the sofa, her vision adjusting to the dimness for a moment, and her gaze landed on Jiang Mi’s sideways waistline.
After staring for a moment, a thought was pulled from her mind.
…And so she did it.
It was an indescribable, almost instinctive drive. The foot curled up under the blanket silently emerged from the covers.
Her warm toes first landed lightly on the thin fabric of Jiang Mi’s waist.
It didn’t wake her.
That small contact was a silent test.
Her toes felt the temperature under the blanket, as well as the slight rise and fall of her breathing. Then, extremely slowly, she began to move up along that soft curve, bit by bit.
Absent-mindedly, yet with extreme focus.
She looked at Jiang Mi, her thoughts unreadable.
The trajectory of her toes, with an almost rubbing touch, slowly moved up along the waistline, towards the softer side rib area.
That subtle, continuous, and warm disturbance finally shattered Jiang Mi’s deep sleep.
“Mmm…”
A muffled nasal sound escaped Jiang Mi’s lips, thick with sleep.
Almost as a conditioned reflex, in a half-dreaming, half-awake state, she instinctively reached out and accurately grabbed the ankle that was causing trouble on her body.
The warmth of her palm instantly enveloped the cool ankle skin. Jiang Mi’s eyes snapped open, her consciousness quickly focusing in the darkness, her heart beating wildly out of control.
She almost sat up at the same time, and the hand that was holding Yan Wei’s ankle subconsciously tightened its grip, her knuckles turning slightly white.
“Gently.”
Yan Wei’s voice was still hoarse, and it was even clearer in this silence.
In the dim light, their gazes unexpectedly met in mid-air. Yan Wei’s face was a bit blurry in the shadows, only her eyes, even in the darkness, clearly reflected a little bit of light, looking straight at her, as calm as a lake at midnight.
Jiang Mi immediately let go. Her mind was filled with what had just happened. What was Yan Wei doing just now?
But what came out was, “…Are you better?”
Jiang Mi’s voice was dry and tight, with the hoarseness of just waking up and a hint of imperceptible nervousness.
Yan Wei tilted her head slightly. “You check.”
She was recalling the touch just now. Jiang Mi’s fingertips still had the calluses of “Liang Yongping,” slightly rough, yet with a strange magic that was addictive.
Jiang Mi paused for a moment, as if drawn by that gaze, and propped herself up to kneel. She leaned over slightly and placed her hand on Yan Wei’s forehead.
The temperature transmitted from her palm was cool, with the unique slight moisture of healthy skin.
“It should have gone down. Let me check again.”
Jiang Mi used a thermometer gun to check Yan Wei’s forehead. Indeed, the fever had subsided.
“The fever is gone. How do you feel? Are you okay?” she asked in a low voice.
“I want to drink water.” Yan Wei’s voice was also not loud, and it had a sickly tone.
Jiang Mi immediately stood up, first turned on the lights, and then walked to the tea station and poured a glass of warm water back. Yan Wei took the glass, and the water flowed down her throat, making her more awake.
The surroundings returned to brightness. Yan Wei’s gaze landed on Jiang Mi. “Why didn’t you leave?”
Jiang Mi was very surprised. “You were sick. How could I leave you alone?”
Yan Wei didn’t speak. The corners of her lips seemed to curve up very slightly, the arc so fleeting that it was almost an illusion.
She handed the glass back to Jiang Mi and propped herself up on the sofa armrest, wanting to stand up. However, her body seemed to still be weak from the ravages of the high fever. Her legs gave way, and she almost couldn’t stand firm.
Jiang Mi quickly grabbed her arm. “What are you doing? What do you want to do? I’ll help you.”
Yan Wei used her strength to stand firm and turned her head to look at her.
In the dimness, her voice carried a post-illness laziness, yet it was also like it was wrapped in a small hook, gently thrown towards Jiang Mi:
“What?” She paused, her gaze sweeping over Jiang Mi’s face, and slowly finished the second half of the sentence, clear and direct, “Are you going to help me take a shower?”
Jiang Mi: “…”
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
Jiang Mi’s fingers, holding her arm, curled almost imperceptibly. Only the temperature that was quietly rising on her face spread silently in the silent darkness.
Then she said with a slightly serious expression, “I’ll help you to the bathroom.”
“Jiang Mi, do you have amnesia?”
“No?” Why is she attacking me all of a sudden?
Then, Jiang Mi heard the woman’s voice in her ear, “Is there anything on my body that you haven’t seen, haven’t touched? So… what are you so shy about?”
Jiang Mi’s face turned red, then white, then red again.
That was true.
What was there for her to be shy about?
Jiang Mi cleared her throat. “I’m not. I’m not shy.”
“You’d better not be.”
Yan Wei, who had returned to a normal temperature, her face had lost its flush, and her lips looked pale.
Jiang Mi was a little worried. “I’ll be right outside the door. If you need anything, just call me.”
Yan Wei looked at her with an unreadable expression, as if to say—Do you really hope I’ll call you in?
The bathroom door blocked the noise of the water, but it couldn’t stop the spread of the damp steam, and the faint rose scent of the shower gel.
All the images related to “Qin Shui” entered her mind with almost no resistance.
Jiang Mi leaned against the cold wall, her fingertips unconsciously curling into her palm. Every sound of a water droplet falling was like it was falling on her tense nerves. Her heartbeat pounded against her eardrums, creating a dull echo in the silent corridor.
The moment the lock clicked softly, she almost held her breath.
Yan Wei walked out wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair still dripping. A winding trail of water slid past her collarbone and into the slightly open collar.
The rising steam made the corners of Yan Wei’s eyes turn red, as if a touch of rouge had been smudged there, completely different from the red of her illness.
It was a hazy, misty look, like something furry was brushing against her heart.
Jiang Mi handed the dry towel in her hand over, her throat a little dry. “Wipe yourself. You’re still sick.”
Yan Wei naturally requested, “You help me.”
Jiang Mi then raised her hand, and the towel carefully covered the side of Yan Wei’s wet neck. Her fingertips, through the towel, touched the skin that had just been showered with hot water.
Yan Wei looked at her.
The distance shortened, and the rose-scented shower gel and rising steam rushed towards her. Jiang Mi’s breath hitched, and she subconsciously paused, their eyes meeting.
Behind the hazy moisture in Yan Wei’s eyes, there was a hint of an elusive deep meaning.
The moment the air froze, as if possessed, Jiang Mi leaned over and placed a very light kiss on Yan Wei’s lips.
Like a feather landing on a calm water surface, the ripples spread silently.
Jiang Mi pulled back slightly. The corners of Yan Wei’s lips curved up almost imperceptibly. She then asked, “Jiang Mi, are you very afraid of me?”
Her voice was slightly hoarse after being moistened by the steam, and the end of her words lightly hooked Jiang Mi’s heart.
Jiang Mi shook her head. “No.”
Yan Wei said, “I thought so too.”
She took a half step forward, and the damp bathrobe pressed against Jiang Mi’s pant leg. “Then—continue.”
The towel slipped from Jiang Mi’s hand and fell to the floor with a soft thud.
Almost by instinct, Jiang Mi’s arms wrapped around Yan Wei’s lower back. Her palm, through the half-wet bathrobe, clearly felt the smooth curve of her spine.
Her body pressed forward with an irresistible force. Yan Wei’s shoulder blades pressed against the frosted glass door of the bathroom. The coolness seeped through the thin bathrobe into her skin, causing her to let out a low moan.
Jiang Mi’s palm immediately came between Yan Wei and the door.
Their chaotic breaths intertwined. Jiang Mi’s kiss and gentleness fell together, their teeth bumping, their tongues entangled.
She lifted her onto the washstand…
The water droplets on the frosted glass door slid down with the vibration.
It didn’t take long.
Yan Wei tilted her head back against the cold glass, her chest heaving, her bangs sticking to her flushed cheeks.
She lowered her head and looked at Jiang Mi in a dazed and weak way.
She reached out and, with difficulty, touched Jiang Mi’s face, then wiped away the water stains from the corner of her lips. “Jiang Mi, well done.”
Then, Yan Wei asked faintly, “Do you want to?”
Jiang Mi didn’t shake her head, but only said, “Teacher Yan, you should rest…”
She even felt that after Yan Wei had just finished, she would soon collapse, and a hint of regret emerged.
Yan Wei narrowed her eyes. “What did you call me?”
Jiang Mi pursed her lips and said again, “Sister, should you rest?”
Only then did Yan Wei’s expression soften slightly. After two breaths, she turned her neck. Her fair and slender neck was like a fragile and beautiful arc. She exposed her most fatal glands to Jiang Mi without reservation.
Her expression was lazy and satisfied, with the extreme fatigue of her illness, but her tone revealed a calm madness, as if she wanted Jiang Mi to suck her dry. She said slowly:
“Very good. A reward for you.”
