Chapter 70

Ye Chengxing felt like she had altered Li Jia’s life trajectory, yet in the end, she hadn’t changed it much at all.

She hadn’t wanted Li Jia to follow the blackening plot from the original book, so she had done everything in her power to avoid the events that would trigger it. But ultimately, it was she herself who had led her down that very path.

Just like now—Li Jia was saying that if she left, she would die right along with her.

Round and round they went, but the core plot hadn’t shifted in the slightest.

It had simply started from one point on the circle and looped right back to it, as if fate itself was utterly irreversible.

But after saying this, Ye Chengxing realized she had unwittingly steered the conversation toward something heavy again. The atmosphere had grown oppressive right along with it.

She quickly cut herself off. Before she could pivot to a lighter topic, however, Li Jia pressed her lips together and asked, “Sister, does it still hurt a lot on your body?”

Ye Chengxing froze for a moment, then understood. Li Jia was referring to the side effects from her previous susceptible period—when she hadn’t taken enough suppressant and had forcibly triggered it.

Li Jia leaned in even closer, her breath a light, cool whisper against Ye Chengxing’s ear. “Sister, if you give me a complete mark, it won’t hurt at all.”

Ye Chengxing didn’t respond.

She reached out to pat Li Jia, pulling her into a sitting position in her arms before speaking. “I… won’t give you a complete mark. Even if that day ever comes, it absolutely won’t be for a reason like this.”

Li Jia’s face filled with bewilderment, as if she didn’t understand. “Why? Doesn’t Sister love me?”

Ye Chengxing said, “I love you.”

But a complete mark meant that this Omega would no longer sense anyone else’s pheromones—only those of the Alpha who had marked her. And the same went for the corresponding Alpha.

With a complete mark binding an Alpha and Omega, they would feel nothing for anyone else until death. They would belong to each other alone.

She loved her, so she couldn’t take that step.

…Otherwise, where would Li Jia go if she ever felt unwell in the future?

She wouldn’t be able to find her.

Ye Chengxing offered only those brief words of love, without explaining why she refused the complete mark.

Li Jia gazed at her steadily for a long moment before finally murmuring, “I love Sister too.”

Hearing this, Ye Chengxing smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to the Omega’s lips. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d almost forgotten about these side effects. Don’t worry about me… But there is one thing I nearly overlooked.”

Their eyes met, and Ye Chengxing blinked. “Didn’t I say earlier that we’d make hot milk tea after finishing the snowman? Let’s go make some now.”

She took Li Jia’s hand, and the two of them rose and headed to the kitchen.

As they walked, Ye Chengxing asked, “Does Xiao Li want anything specific?”

Li Jia threaded her fingers through Ye Chengxing’s, interlocking them tightly. With a soft curve of her lips, she said, “I’ll like whatever Sister makes.”

They stepped into the kitchen like that.

She watched as Ye Chengxing opened the smart storage compartment. Bottles and jars clinked softly together now and then as she pulled out ingredients.

The Alpha’s long, wavy hair shifted with her movements, a few strands slipping forward from behind her back. They hung loose, the ends swaying in gentle arcs through the air.

Some items Ye Chengxing set aside nearby; others she handed to Li Jia to hold.

The kitchen was spacious and impeccably tidy.

Sunlight streamed in from the window, casting a long, warm glow across the floor.

All at once, Li Jia felt her breath catch.

It was such an ordinary scene, but in that instant, nothing made the word “home” feel more real to her.

She had stayed here before Ye Chengxing moved in with her, but the feeling now was completely different. Or rather, it was only different when Ye Chengxing was here.

The place was filled everywhere with traces of their shared life.

—She had a home now, too.

That was the thought running through her mind.

“How about a Cheese Milk Cap Peach for one and Four Seasons Spring Tea for the other?” Ye Chengxing had gathered all the ingredients and was sorting them out.

This was something she’d observed before. Li Jia would drink whatever she made, but compared to purely sweet milk teas, she preferred the savory-sweet profile of cheese milk cap drinks.

She had originally planned for two milk teas, but Ye Chengxing decided to make a milder cup of Four Seasons Spring Tea as well. That way, if the richness of the Cheese Milk Cap Peach got to be too much for Li Jia, she could sip from this one to balance it out.

As she spoke, Ye Chengxing casually sliced some strawberries and pineapple into a fruit platter, setting it beside Li Jia with a small fork stuck in it. The pieces were all perfectly bite-sized.

Everything flowed so naturally and smoothly. Li Jia’s gaze lingered on the heart-shaped fork in the fruit platter for a long time.

Then she speared a piece of pineapple and held it to Ye Chengxing’s lips.

When Ye Chengxing ate it, she followed up with a strawberry.

One piece after another—Ye Chengxing turned her gaze toward her, smiling with a mix of helplessness and tenderness. “I cut it for you. How come you’re feeding it all to me?”

Fresh from the fruit, her lips gleamed a moist, rosy pink. They were beautiful.

Li Jia set the fork down without feeding her any more.

Ye Chengxing started to turn back to the milk tea, but in the next second, Li Jia reached out, hooked an arm around her neck, and drew her into a deep, lingering kiss.

In the warm afternoon light, even their kiss looked like a painting.

When it ended, Li Jia licked the corner of her lips, as if savoring the taste. “…So sweet.”

Ye Chengxing’s face heated up at her words.

She coughed lightly, set down what she was holding, and forked a piece of pineapple into Li Jia’s mouth. “This pineapple really is super sweet.”

Caught off guard by the sudden bite, Li Jia blinked.

She swallowed the pineapple, then grinned and wrapped her arms around Ye Chengxing, rubbing her cheek against her hair. “I won’t tease anymore. Let’s make the milk tea together.”

With that, Li Jia released her and picked up some ingredients to start prepping.

Ye Chengxing pressed a hand to her cheek.

Her heartbeat thrummed so fiercely it made her chest ache, mingled with an irresistible surge of desire.

…If only they could stay like this forever.

She took a quiet, steadying breath, pushing down the swirling emotions and refocusing on the milk tea.

Making just two drinks together didn’t take long at all.

Ye Chengxing set the milk teas on the table in front of the sofa and watched as Li Jia selected a downloaded movie from the holographic player and started it up.

Moments like this always made her wonder if Li Jia had blocked all the signals here.

Everything felt so obviously pre-planned—prepared down to the last detail, independent of any network connection.

And she suspected Li Jia’s preparations were even more thorough than she realized.

How long had she been plotting this?

It couldn’t have been a spur-of-the-moment thing.

Ye Chengxing propped her chin on her hand, her gaze settling on Li Jia.

She actually despised this kind of scheming. In the past, she never would have imagined herself tolerating it.

But in truth, she felt no resentment toward Li Jia for it. She even wanted to soothe her unease.

When she’d first entered this world, Li Jia hadn’t seemed villainous at all. After spending time together, she’d thought her too kind. Now, she saw the truth—Li Jia really was the villain for good reason, and dangerous at that. Yet even having glimpsed her essence, all Ye Chengxing could think of in this moment was how adorably vulnerable she was… how she pitied and cherished her, how she couldn’t hold back her love.

Just like now—Li Jia took a sip of her milk tea and curved her eyes at her. “The milk tea’s delicious.”

Ye Chengxing’s lips curved into a smile without her even realizing it.

None of it mattered anymore.

She loved this version of Li Jia, and if there were a thousand versions, she would love each and every one.