Chapter 28

Ye Chengxing had a dream.

She dreamed of Li Jia.

The setting was still the bathroom.

In the steamy bathroom, the omega’s amber eyes were misty like the water itself.

Everything seemed overlaid with a layer of pure white, ambiguous and alluring.

Their bodies pressed so close together.

Splash—the sound of someone rising from the water.

Droplets splashed out, making the already soaked clothes cling even tighter to her skin.

Li Jia reached out. Her fingertip grazed Ye Chengxing’s clothes—or what passed for clothes now that they were thoroughly drenched. It felt more like a direct caress, the thin, wet fabric only heightening the indescribable sensation.

Ye Chengxing could barely make anything out clearly. She figured she must be dreaming, yet in her haze, she couldn’t separate the scene from reality.

Li Jia’s voice was as soft and pitiable as ever. Her words sounded much like what Ye Chengxing remembered, though a closer look revealed subtle differences. “I got your clothes all wet, big sister,” she said. “But you got me wet too. Whatever are we going to do…?”

As she spoke, she leaned closer. White peach pheromones enveloped Ye Chengxing in an instant, like the bloom of a morning flower or the sweet, juicy scent of ripe fruit.

It was the familiar Li Jia, but with an unfamiliar expression and demeanor.

Ye Chengxing panicked and tried to pull back, to look away on instinct.

But the bathtub was so small. There was nowhere to go but press her back against the edge.

Even her attempt to turn her chin aside was thwarted as Li Jia gripped it. The omega leaned forward, parting her legs to straddle her.

She held Ye Chengxing’s chin and drew near once more, her tone gentle. “Why are you avoiding me, big sister?”

As she spoke, Li Jia took Ye Chengxing’s other hand and guided it to touch the blooming flower. Blinking her lashes, she asked, “Isn’t it so wet?”

Innocent, yet overwhelmingly erotic.

A flush of rose bloomed across Ye Chengxing’s cheeks. The sensation transmitted from her fingertips was vividly real.

Especially when Li Jia seemed to sense her urge to pull away—yet quivered softly and drew her fingertip in deeper.

Morning dew coated her hand. Ye Chengxing’s fingertip trembled in response.

Li Jia seemed delighted by her reaction. Her lips curved in a smile as the hand on the alpha’s chin stayed put. Instead, she lifted it a fraction higher, forcing Ye Chengxing to tilt her head back.

Just as Li Jia’s lips were about to meet hers, Ye Chengxing jolted awake.

Her first thought was relief. Thank goodness—it had all been a dream.

But then she took in her position with Li Jia, and that fleeting ease froze on her face.

Before sleep, the omega had been clinging tightly to her. Yet now, upon waking, it was Ye Chengxing doing the clinging.

Her hand was even resting on Li Jia’s waist. The other’s nightgown had been hiked up quite a bit.

It must have been some unconscious movement she’d made during the dream.

Li Jia was already awake but hadn’t stirred at her touch. She simply endured it, as if unsure what to do.

Ye Chengxing froze for several seconds. The dream images were still vivid in her mind—especially now, with their real-life position so similar. She’d just been… touching Li Jia like that. The dream suddenly felt like it had bled into reality.

More flustered than in the dream itself, Ye Chengxing hastily straightened Li Jia’s nightgown with her eyes nearly squeezed shut. She muttered, “Sorry,” without daring another glance, and fled the room.

Even as she hurried out, her mind couldn’t stop berating her.

God.

Li Jia trusted her so completely, relied on her, saw her as a big sister. She’d only wanted to sleep together innocently. And look what she’d done?

Worse, she’d dreamed something like that. If Li Jia ever found out, she’d probably despise her.

The thought filled Ye Chengxing with even deeper shame.

What on earth had she done? Li Jia must already be starting to hate her.

Lost in these thoughts, Ye Chengxing made her way back to her own room. Even after washing up, her heart still wouldn’t settle.

She was utterly fidgety.

Sitting on her bed, she had a moment where she dreaded leaving—not wanting to face Li Jia at all.

She wasn’t some kid anymore. As an adult, having such thoughts, even such dreams, was normal, in line with basic biology. But… the object of the dream was her little sister figure?

It had to be because they’d been together constantly these days. Li Jia was the only one she interacted with much—what you think of by day shows up in your dreams by night. It didn’t mean she had those kinds of feelings for Li Jia.

With that reassurance, Ye Chengxing finally calmed a little.

Most importantly, she checked the time. It was about breakfast o’clock. With some hesitation, she pushed open her door and stepped out.

Before leaving her room, though, she peered anxiously down the hallway to confirm Li Jia wasn’t there.

Fresh off that dream, she really was too ashamed to face her. She had no idea how to handle it.

Yet no matter how much she wanted to hide, living under the same roof meant they’d run into each other eventually.

As soon as Ye Chengxing entered the kitchen, there was Li Jia.

The omega was holding a plate of freshly made breakfast, steam still rising from it. Spotting her, Li Jia smiled. “Perfect timing. I was just about to come get you for breakfast.”

Ye Chengxing managed a stiff response. She didn’t dare meet her eyes, letting her gaze drop to the plates instead. Stepping forward, she took one along with some chopsticks. “You made this?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized it was a stupid question. If not Li Jia, was it Xiao Bai?

“Yes,” Li Jia replied. She seemed a touch nervous at the question. “I’ve watched you make it a few times, so I picked up a simple recipe. It might not be as good as yours, though…”

Ye Chengxing studied Li Jia’s expression.

That hint of tension looked entirely due to her question. There was no sign that the morning’s events had fazed her at all.

Maybe Li Jia found it awkward too and had decided to gloss right over it.

“No, it looks delicious already.” With her heart weighed down by a tangle of thoughts, Ye Chengxing said this as they walked side by side to the table.

After sitting and taking a bite of what Li Jia had made, she praised it sincerely. “It’s really good.”

To whip up something this tasty and refined just by looking on a few times—that was seriously impressive.

Ye Chengxing showered it with more compliments.

“As long as you like it, big sister.” Li Jia met her eyes, visibly delighted.

Seeing that pure, innocent expression nearly crushed Ye Chengxing under a wave of guilt. Unable to hold back, she set down her chopsticks and apologized again. “About this morning… I’m truly sorry. I—”

But Li Jia cut her off before she could finish. Smiling with crinkled eyes, her tone brimmed with trust. “It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean to.”

Faced with such unreserved faith, Ye Chengxing was at a loss for words.

Guilt and shame churned inside her, mingled with a chaotic swirl of other emotions. Her heart was a total mess.

Ye Chengxing’s complicated expression didn’t escape Li Jia’s notice.

Truth be told, if she hadn’t made the first move, the distance between them would have stayed wide. And strictly speaking, it was she who’d hiked up her own nightgown.

Watching Ye Chengxing’s conflicted look, Li Jia blinked innocently.

Beneath that flustered panic, she detected a hint of something unusual.

For Ye Chengxing’s gaze to dodge like that, to avoid looking at her so pointedly—it couldn’t be entirely because of what had happened, could it?

If that was the case…

Li Jia schemed inwardly while keeping her expression perfectly guileless. She played the role of the obedient little sister to perfection.

Ye Chengxing grew more restless by the second. But she’d barely touched her breakfast. Worried Li Jia would think her earlier compliments were just polite flattery, she forced herself to eat most of it before setting down her chopsticks. After all, this was Li Jia’s first time making breakfast—and for her, no less. She had to take it seriously.

The moment she did, Li Jia called out to her.

“Big sister…”

Ye Chengxing looked over. In the morning light, the omega’s figure seemed hazy, unconsciously stirring memories of that rose-tinted dream.

Right then, her phone chimed. Ye Chengxing pulled it out to see a message from her assistant: they’d made some headway investigating Lin Que.

It was like a lifeline, a perfectly legitimate excuse. She breathed a sigh of relief, her fingers flying across the screen with a quick reply—”Let’s meet to discuss”—before turning to Li Jia with an apologetic look. “Xiao Li, something urgent just came up. I might have to head out for a bit.”

With that, Ye Chengxing hurried off to change.

Li Jia’s words died on her lips.

She watched Ye Chengxing’s hasty retreating figure, her own expression growing ever more pensive.