The body in her arms burned hot as a furnace. As a doctor, Ye Chengxing immediately pieced together the signs and realized Li Jia was running a fever.
She thought back, recalling details she had previously overlooked.
Li Jia’s fever wasn’t some accident—it had been induced on purpose. The person who had left the room earlier had even mentioned it to her in parting, her tone laced with savoring relish: “Someone with a fever feels entirely different in bed.”
Putting it all together, Ye Chengxing understood the full picture. She couldn’t hold back a quiet curse.
What kind of scum were these people?
As the drug took full effect, the Omega’s awareness grew hazy. Yet even cradled in her embrace, she remained guarded and resistant. Ye Chengxing steadied her breathing, gently patted Li Jia’s back, and spoke soothingly. “Li Jia, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Li Jia might not have fully registered the words. She clamped down hard on her lower lip, which had swollen to a vivid crimson from the pressure.
In that moment, the image in Ye Chengxing’s mind—the figure who had smiled while plummeting from a high-rise—overlapped with the Omega in her arms. A sharp pang twisted in her chest.
Ye Chengxing shrugged off her jacket and draped it over Li Jia, then scooped her up.
Though Li Jia stood over five foot nine, she felt as light as paper in her arms, her waist so slender it seemed it might snap under a firm grip. Ye Chengxing pulled the jacket tighter, tucking Li Jia face-first against her chest and wrapping it securely around the Omega.
Even though Ye Chengxing moved as delicately as she could, Li Jia still sensed it. She could barely control her own actions anymore. The drug surged through her veins, igniting an urgent craving for comfort from an Alpha.
Strands of white peach pheromones curled faintly around Ye Chengxing. But their owner let out a pained whimper, parted her lips, and sank her teeth into Ye Chengxing’s shoulder with savage force. Blood beaded up almost instantly on the punctured skin.
Ye Chengxing didn’t flinch. She held Li Jia steady as they left the room, murmuring softly into the Omega’s ear again and again. “Li Jia, don’t be afraid. I won’t do anything to you. We’ll be at the hospital soon…”
Truth be told, the bite hurt like hell. But the ache in her heart and the swell of pity overshadowed it.
Ye Chengxing had no idea why the 001 System had chosen her or thrust her into this world—fate, perhaps, or something else. But now that she was here, she would do everything in her power to heal Li Jia.
It wasn’t just the mission. The thought of the story’s later developments and this woman’s tragic past made it impossible for her to stay detached.
The night deepened into full midnight. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay thick darkness, and beneath that veil, the venue had descended into utter debauchery.
The banquet hall had devolved into a scene too depraved to behold.
The room’s soundproofing had muffled it before, but now, out in the corridor, one glance revealed Alphas and Omegas lost in reckless lust. Wet slaps, ragged gasps, and filthy pleas echoed everywhere.
It wasn’t just Ye Chengxing who heard. Li Jia did too.
The proof was immediate: the trembling in the Omega’s body intensified. As if aware of her own reaction, Li Jia suddenly bit down harder, her loathing so fierce it felt like she wanted to tear a chunk of flesh from Ye Chengxing’s shoulder.
Ye Chengxing’s shoulder had gone numb. She could smell blood now, feel it trickling from the wound.
Even so, she didn’t let go. Instead, she held Li Jia closer and gently cupped a hand over her ear, muffling the noise without a hint of force.
The woman’s palm was soft and warm. Caught off guard by the gesture, the Omega in her arms froze for a second.
The corridor stretched on endlessly. Ye Chengxing didn’t know how long it took to traverse. She heard one of the original host’s friends call out to her amid the chaotic throng of Alphas and Omegas, drawing extra attention to them.
“Tsk tsk tsk, A Cheng. Not bad for a newly Differentiated Alpha—such stamina. You wore her out that fast?” The voice dripped with oily mockery. “In such a rush to dump her at the hospital? Don’t worry, she won’t die from it. But since you’re done, how about letting me have a taste?”
Ye Chengxing vaguely remembered the woman. She’d been standing by her side when she first woke up in the room. Her name was Zhang Shanle, a regular in this crowd.
Zhang Shanle sauntered closer, red wine glass in hand and another Omega draped over her arm. The corridor lights bathed everything in a dizzying haze of color. A wave of nausea hit Ye Chengxing as she eyed the original host’s sleazy friend.
The cold fury in Ye Chengxing’s eyes was unmistakable. Zhang Shanle’s smirk faltered for a split second, but she pressed on with feigned casualness. “What’s wrong, A Cheng? You’ve had your fill—can’t I sip the leftovers? You’re being such a spoilsport…”
Before she could finish, the Alpha before her unleashed her pheromones. The warm oolong tea scent turned icy with menace, instinctively cowing anyone who caught it.
“Get lost. I won’t say it twice,” Ye Chengxing said coldly.
By the time Zhang Shanle processed it, she was slumped on the floor. Ye Chengxing had already carried Li Jia out of the corridor.
Her wine glass tipped, spilling crimson droplets onto the ground.
Staring at the mess, she muttered, “Isn’t Ye Chengxing just some good-for-nothing rich kid…?” Since when did her pheromones pack that kind of punch?
A short walk beyond the corridor took them fully away from the banquet site.
The moment they stepped outside, the air felt fresher, cleaner.
The original host had arrived with her scummy cronies. If Ye Chengxing hadn’t crossed over today, the host would have left with them too.
But Ye Chengxing was here now, and she’d altered the plot. She certainly wasn’t riding with that lot.
The venue wasn’t far from downtown—prime nightlife territory. Yet no matter how they looked, every passing driver sped by without stopping, as if spooked by their appearance.
At last, she flagged down a cab. The driver braked before getting a good look and started reaching for the gas to peel out. Ye Chengxing spotted the intent, yanked open the door, and slid in with Li Jia, directing him to the nearest hospital.
With passengers aboard and a destination given, the driver still hesitated. He glanced shakily into the rearview mirror, his eyes locking on the Buddhist beads around Ye Chengxing’s wrist. He paled visibly. “M-Miss Ye, would you like another car?”
Ye Chengxing’s brow twitched as the driver blurted her surname. In a flash, she grasped why the other drivers had ignored her frantic waves despite empty cabs.
“No need,” she said curtly.
Hailing a ride had been ordeal enough—this one had stopped by mistake. If it bolted, she couldn’t exactly carry Li Jia the whole way. Even if she could manage it, Li Jia couldn’t wait that long.
The driver looked on the verge of tears but gritted his teeth and nodded.
Ye Chengxing had her suspicions about the reason, but she voiced them anyway. “You’re afraid of me?”
The question nearly made the driver blurt, “Isn’t it obvious?” He swallowed it back with a nervous chuckle. “N-No, not at all! Just the heat, that’s all. But every driver around here knows you, Miss Ye.”
Ye Chengxing pondered his words.
The system had rushed her a plot summary due to the emergency, but she hadn’t delved into the original host’s memories yet.
She’d check them once Li Jia stabilized at the hospital.
The driver fell silent after that, but Ye Chengxing noticed sweat beading and dripping down his face. She let it drop—full access to those memories would answer her questions.
Her silence seemed to ease him. The car settled into quiet.
But then Li Jia began to squirm.
Her mood had steadied after leaving the party, and she’d even released Ye Chengxing’s shoulder, nestling quietly in her arms.
Now she twisted restlessly, as if burning up.
She still wore only that flimsy layer of gauze—no time to change—and Ye Chengxing’s jacket covered it. But the Omega kept trying to shove the jacket aside and claw at the sheer fabric beneath.
From her angle, Ye Chengxing caught glimpses of pale skin flashing with each movement. Li Jia’s face flushed with arousal, her lips parted on warm breaths that ghosted over Ye Chengxing.
Heat crept into Ye Chengxing’s cheeks. She averted her eyes, tried pinning the jacket down—but then the hands beneath slipped free. In the end, she clasped both of Li Jia’s wrists firmly, her tone gentle and coaxing. “The hospital’s almost here. Just hold on a little longer, okay?”
Even hushed as it was, the exchange carried to the front. The driver froze, barely breathing at the sound of Ye Chengxing’s tender voice.
With her wrists secured, Li Jia calmed somewhat. Hearing the soothing words, she cracked her eyes open and looked up at Ye Chengxing. Sweat glistened on her skin, strands of hair clinging to her lips.
The gaze Li Jia fixed on her brimmed with tangled emotions: drug-fueled desire, the agony of lost control, boundless wariness and doubt, all threaded with disgust.
Ye Chengxing met her eyes, gaze flicking over the Omega’s flushed cheek. She paused, then raised her hand.
Li Jia’s pupils contracted sharply at the motion.
But nothing came as expected. Ye Chengxing merely brushed the stray lock from her lips and tucked it behind her ear. Her voice was soft, laced with warmth and encouragement. “Li Jia, don’t be scared. We’re out now. Once we reach the hospital, you’ll start feeling better. Just a bit longer, okay?”
Their current position was actually rather intimate. The back seat of the taxi wasn’t particularly spacious to begin with, and besides, they weren’t sitting side by side—one was nestled squarely in the other’s lap.
The scenery outside the car window streaked past in reverse, the warm yellow glow of streetlights flickering in from time to time.
With their gazes intertwined at such close range, Ye Chengxing noticed that Li Jia’s eyelashes were exceptionally long and dense. Paired with the reddish tint at the corners of her eyes, she looked just like a little red-eyed bunny spirit.
Unable to resist, Ye Chengxing reached up and ruffled her long hair.
Caught off guard by the sudden touch atop her head, Li Jia froze for a second. But she quickly gathered herself, her gaze sharpening as her lips parted, on the verge of issuing some sort of threat. Yet the instant her mouth opened, her body went limp, and she collapsed softly into Ye Chengxing’s arms.
Seeing Li Jia’s eyes drift shut, Ye Chengxing reached out to press a hand to her forehead. Sure enough, it burned even hotter than before.
She pulled the girl closer into her embrace. When she spoke to the driver, a note of urgency slipped unbidden into her voice. “Sir, could you drive a little faster?”
