Chapter 61

Hearing Wen Qingxi’s words, Ye Chengxing froze for a second.

Wen Qingxi…

Wasn’t that the name of the female lead from the original book? Why was the female lead here?

She met Wen Qingxi’s gaze, inwardly acknowledging just how awkward this was.

During that earlier phone call from the Ye Family, she had assumed their talk of a marriage alliance was just an idle notion that hadn’t been acted on. She never imagined it was real—or that her prospective alliance partner would turn out to be the original book’s female lead.

“But the marriage alliance was merely an accident, Miss Ye. There’s no need to dwell on it,” Wen Qingxi said calmly, having noted her reaction. She continued her gentle explanation.

“I understand,” Ye Chengxing replied with a nod and a polite smile. “In any case, thank you for today.”

Wen Qingxi fell silent. Her gaze drifted to the necklace around Ye Chengxing’s neck, and she lowered her eyes. “…But that child certainly keeps a close watch on you.”

Ye Chengxing only caught the slight movement of Wen Qingxi’s lips and hadn’t heard clearly. “Sorry, what did you just say? I didn’t quite catch it.”

Wen Qingxi looked up again and smiled at her. “It’s nothing. I was just admiring the necklace you’re wearing. It’s quite beautiful.”

At the compliment, Ye Chengxing’s lips curved upward slightly. “Thank you. I think it’s beautiful too…”

Before she could finish, Wen Qingxi leaned in a little closer. The woman reached out with her fingertips, hooked the necklace, and tucked it back inside Ye Chengxing’s clothes. “On second thought, a treasure this precious really should be kept close to you at all times.”

Her words seemed to refer to the necklace, but Wen Qingxi’s gaze had remained fixed on Ye Chengxing’s face from start to finish.

Ye Chengxing frowned faintly but offered no reply—for once.

Wen Qingxi didn’t seem to mind the silence.

“Since you’ve gotten your suppressants, I’ll be on my way,” she said, withdrawing her fingertips with a smile. “Goodbye, Miss Ye.”

The tap of her cane echoed lightly on the ground as she turned to leave.

Wen Qingxi twisted the ring on her thumb, deactivating the custom signal jammer embedded in it.

The necklace had been exposed outside her clothes for too long; now, as it pressed against her skin again, it carried a faint chill.

Ye Chengxing tugged the necklace back out and retrieved the suppressants from the vending machine’s pickup slot.

With the suppressants in hand, she glanced toward Wen Qingxi’s retreating figure.

There was something oddly inexplicable about the original book’s female lead.

As Ye Chengxing headed outward, a sudden realization struck her.

She glanced around.

The area was lined exclusively with vending machines dispensing suppressants for Alphas and Omegas.

But if memory served, the female lead, Wen Qingxi, was explicitly a Beta in the original plot. Betas had no pheromones, no susceptible periods or heat periods—they had no need for suppressants.

…So what was Wen Qingxi doing here?

Ye Chengxing mulled it over but decided she was probably overthinking things. Wen Qingxi’s demeanor made it clear she viewed the marriage alliance as an unwelcome fluke, too.

Besides, there was no romance arc in the original plot.

She shook her head and slipped the suppressants into her pocket.

The delay had eaten up some time; Li Jia was still waiting in the car. She needed to get back quickly.

Ye Chengxing left the hospital and made her way toward the parking area. She hadn’t reached it yet when Li Jia came walking toward her from the opposite direction.

“Xiao Li? Weren’t you supposed to wait in the car?” Ye Chengxing asked on instinct.

Li Jia gave Ye Chengxing a glance, then peered past her into the distance before looking away. She smiled nonchalantly. “Nothing much. I waited in the car a bit, but it started feeling like it was taking too long, so I came out to check.”

As she spoke, the Omega stepped to her side and suddenly pulled her into a hug. “After all, sister entered her susceptible period early today, and it’s not been long since she got her suppressant dose. I was worried something might come up…”

Warm breath brushed her neck along with the embrace. The girl’s words brimmed with concern, warming Ye Chengxing’s heart. “I’m fine. I just took a little longer at the suppressant machine.”

“A little longer? Did sister run into someone she knows?” Still holding on, Li Jia asked softly.

Ye Chengxing paused at the question. “No, no acquaintances.”

Thinking of Wen Qingxi still felt awkward. If not for today’s encounter, she wouldn’t have even known it was real.

Thank goodness that unexpected alliance had fizzled out before it began. Otherwise, the very idea gave her a headache.

…Since it was settled, best to let it stay buried.

Mentioning it again would only dredge up that embarrassing memory to attack her anew.

With that in mind, Ye Chengxing added, “I’m not used to those suppressant vending machines, so it slowed me down a bit.”

Li Jia fell quiet, seemingly lost in thought.

Assuming she was still concerned, Ye Chengxing smiled and patted her back gently. “Come on, I’m really okay.”

Only after a moment did Li Jia release her and murmur in agreement.

The Omega’s eyes curved in a gentle arc as she took Ye Chengxing’s hand with her uninjured one. “As long as sister is fine.”

Ye Chengxing felt the gesture and paused for a beat before clasping her hand in return.

These past few days—first the stalker tailing them, then Lin Xuan and his crew brazenly cornering them at school…

Li Jia might seem unaffected, but Ye Chengxing could sense her growing clinginess.

Her heart was likely far less steady than she pretended; she was just putting on a calm front to spare Ye Chengxing worry.

That only made it more heartbreaking.

Ye Chengxing sighed to herself. The villainess’s fate was truly fraught with hardship.

She resolved to be more vigilant in daily life, to watch over Li Jia more closely. Incidents like the one with Lin Xuan could never happen again.

Yet when she thought of the original plot, the current developments felt both familiar and altered.

In the original text, Li Jia shouldn’t have been this powerful. Recalling the Omega’s chilling, ruthless expression even now was vivid; Ye Chengxing almost believed that, had the situation allowed, Li Jia might have killed Lin Xuan right then and there.

And while perils akin to the original plot had arisen, they’d all been averted by the narrowest margins, without true disaster…

This realization left Ye Chengxing momentarily speechless with her own thoughts.

Was she somehow hoping for Li Jia to face some catastrophe? No—it should be exactly like this: no incidents, preferably none at all.

The plot shifts were probably tied closely to her influence, in any case.

Ye Chengxing reined in her tangled musings. They’d reached the car now, so she released Li Jia’s hand and opened the passenger door.

She turned to Li Jia with a smile. “Hop in. Let’s head home.”

Li Jia stared at her freed hand, blinking slowly and softly. Then she slid into the passenger seat, her own smile turning sweetly soft. “Yeah, back to our home.”

The door shut automatically behind her. Ye Chengxing turned to circle back to the driver’s side.

Through the window, Li Jia watched Ye Chengxing’s figure, her gaze darkening subtly.

The necklace’s signal had been jammed—something only a specialized shielding device could accomplish.

Which meant Ye Chengxing had definitely met someone while fetching her suppressants but claimed otherwise.

…Ye Chengxing had lied to her.