They stood only a meter apart.
The Omega’s eyelashes were thick and curled upward, giving her an even more pitiable look from this angle.
Ye Chengxing hugged her tightly.
Li Jia reached out and hugged Ye Chengxing in return.
She finally felt that faint fragrance from the Alpha’s body once more, mingled with the more intimate oolong tea scent of her pheromones.
Li Jia rested her chin lightly on Ye Chengxing’s shoulder. She tilted her head slightly, sensing the rhythm of Ye Chengxing’s breathing and heartbeat.
One beat after another, linking them together.
She held on tight, as if letting go would make Ye Chengxing vanish.
Hearing what Li Jia had just said, Ye Chengxing felt her heart shatter. Without a second thought, she pulled the other woman into her arms.
What kind of villain was this? She was clearly just a pitiable little thing.
As Ye Chengxing held Li Jia, pity welled up inside her, and her determination grew even stronger—
She would rewrite Li Jia’s fate.
Ye Chengxing ran her fingertips gently up and down Li Jia’s back, patting soothingly.
Feeling the Omega tremble involuntarily in her embrace, Ye Chengxing softened her voice even further. “Li Jia, don’t be afraid. I’ll hold your hand and walk every step of the way with you from here on out. You’re not alone.”
Her words were soft, but they carried unshakeable resolve.
Li Jia breathed in the fragrance lingering in the Alpha’s hair. Taking advantage of the angle that hid her expression from view, she gazed at Ye Chengxing with utter abandon.
She thought, what a warm embrace.
So warm it tempted her to sink into it forever. Just this simple hug was enough to stir her desires once again.
“With big sister here, of course I won’t be afraid,” Li Jia murmured.
The instant Ye Chengxing looked her way, Li Jia lifted her head at just the right moment, meeting her eyes. The vulnerability and strength in her gaze laid bare in that instant—a beauty laced with contradiction and fragility.
The Omega’s lips, lush as flower petals, parted. She played her stunning looks to the hilt. Beneath that shared gaze, Li Jia rested her head back on Ye Chengxing’s shoulder. Her arms around Ye Chengxing’s waist tightened ever so slightly and slowly, while her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible. “So… big sister won’t leave me, right? You’ll stay by my side forever, won’t you?”
If anyone else had been there in that moment, they would have seen the attachment and possessiveness flickering in the Omega’s eyes—emotions that went far beyond the ordinary.
But no one else was present. And Ye Chengxing, locked in Li Jia’s embrace, couldn’t see the feelings hidden in those eyes. All she heard was the tearful quiver in Li Jia’s voice and the cautious plea begging her not to leave.
It was like a rose sealed in glass—one wrong move, and it would shatter.
Ye Chengxing’s tone grew even firmer. “Didn’t I say we’d walk this road together? Of course I’ll stay by your side.”
After giving that promise, Ye Chengxing felt a fresh pang of heartache.
Li Jia’s dependence on her now stemmed from a lifetime starved of affection, but that was okay. She would stay with her until she healed. She wouldn’t hold the past against her or demand anything in return. When Li Jia had everything she needed and no longer required her presence, Ye Chengxing would leave on her own—by then, the mission would probably be complete anyway.
Though that day was still far off, the thought of their eventual parting brought a faint melancholy to Ye Chengxing’s heart.
By that time, though, Li Jia’s life should have transformed into something bright and full of light, shouldn’t it?
That would make this whole journey worthwhile.
Ye Chengxing patted Li Jia’s back and smiled. “Alright, the nutritious meal I made for you is about to get cold.”
Only then did Li Jia pull away from Ye Chengxing’s embrace.
She was reluctant deep down, but clinging any longer might give something away. No matter how unwilling, Li Jia kept her expression perfectly composed as she sat back up.
She picked up her chopsticks again and began eating the food with delicate care.
These dishes in front of her—they were all made specially for her by Ye Chengxing.
The thought filled Li Jia with a quiet pleasure. Her mind felt satisfied, but her body grew all the more restless.
Ye Chengxing used the serving chopsticks to pick up a serving of vegetables that were a bit farther from the Omega. “Try this too. Tell me what you think of the flavor and texture so I can improve it.”
Li Jia’s gaze followed the food Ye Chengxing had picked up, trailing from the chopsticks’ tips to the elegant hands holding them.
Slender and beautiful hands, with fingertips as smooth and lustrous as jade.
Li Jia lowered her eyelashes.
Having held on for so long, her body was once again infused with Ye Chengxing’s scent.
But in this moment, it still didn’t feel like enough.
Inhaling that faint, drifting trace in the air, Li Jia suddenly craved even more.
The food clearly suited her tastes perfectly. Just as Ye Chengxing was about to ask if she wanted seconds, the Omega jerked as if scalded, and the bowl of soup slipped from her grasp, spilling onto her.
Ye Chengxing’s fingertips went numb at the sight.
To keep the freshly simmered soup from cooling, she’d used smart bowls that maintained the temperature.
It was warm enough going down to soothe the stomach, but splashed on skin, it wouldn’t scald—though it certainly wouldn’t feel good.
Li Jia seemed to furrow her brow for a split second before reaching to steady the bowl. Her voice held apology and panic. “Big sister, I’m sorry. I didn’t hold it steady—the soup spilled…”
Ye Chengxing cut in hurriedly. “Forget the soup. Li Jia, are you burned?”
Without waiting for a reply, she stepped forward, lifted the hem of the clothing where the soup had splashed, and grabbed some cool water from nearby to rinse it off.
After a few thorough rinses, Ye Chengxing inspected the skin and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no serious damage.
Seeing Li Jia reach for the bowl again, she called out, “I’ll have Xiao Bai clean it up. It’s just some spilled soup. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters. These things aren’t as important as you.”
With that, she checked the rest of Li Jia’s body. The splash had mostly hit her thigh area, and after the cold water rinses, the skin there now bore a thin flush of red.
Li Jia’s complexion was already exceedingly fair, so the redness stood out all the more.
Though it wasn’t serious, the sight tugged painfully at Ye Chengxing’s heart.
Sensing her distress, the soup-soaked Omega turned the tables to comfort her instead. “Big sister, it’s fine. I don’t feel a thing.”
The more Li Jia downplayed it, the worse Ye Chengxing felt.
“But…” Li Jia paused there.
Ye Chengxing immediately looked at her with concern. “Is it uncomfortable? Let me put some medicine on it.”
If this had happened to her, Ye Chengxing probably would have rinsed it with cold water and gotten right back to work without a second thought.
But for some reason, facing Li Jia made her uncharacteristically anxious.
At Ye Chengxing’s words, Li Jia’s eyelashes fluttered. She seemed to curve her lips faintly, though it vanished so quickly that anyone watching might doubt they’d seen it at all. “No… I just realized I might need to take a bath.”
As she spoke, she glanced downward.
It was simmered soup with some oil in it, and after the cold rinse, it felt even stickier and worse on her skin.
Li Jia didn’t finish the thought. It took Ye Chengxing a second to catch on, and she belatedly glanced at the gauze-wrapped palm.
Beneath the bandage was the fresh medication she’d applied before leaving earlier.
Noticing Ye Chengxing’s gaze on her bandaged hand, Li Jia let her own eyes drop there too. In a small voice, she said, “Big sister… I might need to trouble you to help me take a bath.”
She spoke softly, her tone laced with unease, as if the request was hard to voice.
Help Li Jia… take a bath?
Ye Chengxing froze for another second.
But in that second, Li Jia lowered her eyes again, her voice dropping even further. “Is it too much trouble for big sister? It’s okay—I can just wipe down instead.”
Hearing that quiet murmur, Ye Chengxing finally snapped out of it and managed, “It’s no trouble.”
She looked at the earnest Li Jia and suddenly felt ashamed of her own fleeting thoughts.
Li Jia just needed help bathing because of the spilled soup. Why had her first instinct been that it might not be appropriate? Li Jia was still a patient right now—one with both internal and external injuries.
The villainess had already suffered so much early on. For her to get hurt right under Ye Chengxing’s nose was a failure on her part.
If Li Jia wanted her help with a bath now, what was there to hesitate about?
She needed to be more open-minded. In a doctor’s eyes, all patients should be treated the same.
With that in mind, Ye Chengxing composed herself. “How could it be trouble? It’s the least I can do.”
Though she’d managed a natural tone when agreeing, once they were actually in the bathroom, Ye Chengxing started feeling awkward all over.
…She could always just close her eyes.
She tried to hypnotize herself with the thought.
The bathroom wasn’t small by any means, but Ye Chengxing felt strangely cramped inside it—especially knowing she was sharing the space with Li Jia, of all places.
But she’d already promised, and with Li Jia’s injured palm unable to get wet, having her help seemed perfectly reasonable.
Still, Ye Chengxing couldn’t shake the odd tension creeping over her.
It was like how she’d never thought the villa’s bathroom was cramped before, but now it felt impossibly tight.
“Big sister, I’m going to start undressing now.”
The Omega’s clear voice came from behind her. Still facing away, Ye Chengxing instinctively replied, “Go ahead.”
After the words left her mouth, Ye Chengxing felt they sounded a bit off, but after a moment’s reflection, the phrasing seemed fine in context. She shook her head to banish the stray thoughts.
She was just helping a patient with an injured palm—who couldn’t get it wet—take a bath. That was all.
Even so, the word “patient” felt oddly cold and distant when applied to Li Jia.
Silently, Ye Chengxing swapped it out for Li Jia’s name in her mind, rearranged the phrasing, and ran through it again. Only then did it sound right to her ears.
