Chapter 74

Ye Chengxing slept far longer than expected, but even in slumber, the exhaustion weighing on her body showed no sign of easing as she had hoped. If anything, it grew even more intense.

It felt as if she had been forcibly held underwater, only to be pulled up at the very brink of suffocation. Her consciousness drifted in a hazy fog.

She had no idea how much time had passed as she floated in that formless depths, until Li Jia’s voice calling her name finally tugged her back to awareness.

Ye Chengxing opened her eyes, feeling not just dizziness before her but a needle-like pain prickling all over her body.

“Sister, time to get up and take some medicine.”

Li Jia set the prepared medicine on the bedside table and reached out to feel Ye Chengxing’s forehead.

It did not feel quite as hot anymore.

Had she caught a chill yesterday while making that little rabbit in the back garden? Was this what they meant when they said people who rarely got sick always got hit hard when they did?

She had already removed the pale golden chain the moment she noticed Ye Chengxing’s fever.

Li Jia took out the smart thermometer and measured her body temperature.

The device beeped, and she glanced down at the number on the screen—36.4 degrees Celsius.

Good, the fever had broken.

Ye Chengxing could sense that Li Jia was saying something to her, but her mind was too scattered to make out the omega’s words, even when she tried to focus.

That failed attempt to concentrate only amplified the fatigue crashing over her, pulling her drifting consciousness back toward sleep.

Li Jia could tell from Ye Chengxing’s state that she probably could not hear a word.

So the omega simply half-embraced her, letting her lean against her chest. She picked up the medicine from beside them and fed it to her sip by sip, her lips pressing gently against Ye Chengxing’s.

Once the medicine was done, she wiped away the excess that had overflowed with a tissue.

Though the fever had subsided, Ye Chengxing’s face remained deathly pale.

Her lips, freshly stained from the medicine, glowed with an almost unnaturally vivid color.

Yet that splash of red did nothing to improve her complexion. If anything, it made her paleness more striking—fragile, almost translucent.

Li Jia stared for a moment before realization dawned. She tentatively pinched the alpha’s waist, then ran her hands over her body from top to bottom. There was no doubt about it: Ye Chengxing had lost a tremendous amount of weight. She could feel the bones beneath her skin.

This was not the kind of weight loss that happened overnight or even over a couple of days. And it could not be blamed on just this one bout of fever.

So when had it started?

Truth be told, Li Jia had rarely—if ever—seen her sister like this, so vulnerable.

Her sister always seemed mature and tolerant, forever meeting her with positivity. She would gently stroke her hair, care for her with thoughtful attention, stay up all night by her bedside when she was ill, and handle every detail with meticulous care.

Li Jia reached out again to touch Ye Chengxing’s forehead.

Yes, the fever was truly gone.

But an inexplicable panic gripped her heart.

She carefully helped Ye Chengxing lie back down and tucked the covers around her. After staring at the alpha for a couple of seconds, she decided to head to the kitchen first.

Plain white congee might be light, but it would not provide much energy. So she made vegetable congee instead—something suitable for someone who was ill but far more nourishing.

After the congee was ready, she also prepared some honey lemon water, thinking it would be perfect for Ye Chengxing once she woke up.

With everything done, Li Jia stored it all in the smart storage compartment.

She returned to the bedroom. Ye Chengxing’s position looked unchanged from when she had gone downstairs. Li Jia knew the alpha was just sleeping, knew she needed rest now that the fever had broken and her energy was low. Still, the sight filled her with unrelenting unease.

The medicine had already been given. She wanted to wake her for a bite to eat but hesitated, thinking she should let her rest first.

Li Jia sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze fixed on Ye Chengxing’s face.

She lay there before her, utterly still, her breathing so faint it was almost inaudible.

As Li Jia watched, she noticed how utterly exhausted Ye Chengxing looked. Normally, when facing her, she always smiled—bright and sunny, enough to lift Li Jia’s spirits the moment their eyes met. She talked constantly, never letting conversations lag, even varying the bedtime stories she told every night.

But with her eyes closed, all the weariness she had hidden beneath that facade laid bare, exposed completely.

It was just like how Li Jia had only noticed today how much weight Ye Chengxing had lost.

She suddenly recalled that lately, during their intimate moments, Ye Chengxing rarely undressed fully. It usually only happened when Li Jia’s mind was foggy from pleasure and Ye Chengxing carried her to clean up. By the time she recovered a bit, her sister was already dressed again.

At first, Li Jia had thought it was because she resisted getting too close, so she kept her clothes on.

But had it really been to hide how thin she had become…?

Once the memories started flooding back, more overlooked details surfaced. She remembered that time Ye Chengxing had nearly collapsed, unsteady on her feet. Li Jia had caught her, and she had leaned against her for a long while without speaking. Ye Chengxing had brushed it off as a joke, and Li Jia had simply told her not to joke like that again.

Had it really been a joke?

Why had she believed it so easily, instead of dragging her straight to the hospital?

How had Ye Chengxing managed these past days…?

And if that was the case, the reason she had never given her a complete mark…

“Why are you crying?”

Just then, a low, gentle voice sounded in her ear.

Li Jia looked up abruptly, meeting Ye Chengxing’s gaze.

Ye Chengxing coughed twice and propped herself up to sit. Seeing this, Li Jia quickly reached out to help.

Once upright with her assistance, Ye Chengxing paused before smiling and saying, “It’s not that bad yet, but from your expression, I feel like I might as well be dead…”

Noticing how Li Jia’s eyes reddened even more in an instant, Ye Chengxing trailed off and coughed softly again. She reached out to ruffle the omega’s hair. “It’s okay. Don’t cry, alright? Be good.”

She even teased, “You look just like that little rabbit I made for you yesterday right now.”

The moment she opened her eyes, amusement lit her gaze, her curved brows and smiling eyes scattering some of the sickly pallor from her face.

Listening to her words, Li Jia touched the cool liquid on her cheeks and realized she was crying.

She threw her arms around Ye Chengxing. Hugging her now, after realizing how thin she had become, filled her with alarm.

“It’s okay, Sister. I’ll take you to the hospital…”

She pulled back, as if to grab something.

“What are you talking about?” Ye Chengxing caught her hand and gently stroked her cheek, her tone a mix of helplessness. “This is just the price of staying in the Task World after completing the task. The hospital can’t do anything about it.”

Li Jia latched onto those words, her body trembling violently. “What?”

“The price of staying in the Task World after completing the task?” She turned her gaze to Ye Chengxing, enunciating each word, her eyes rimmed red as if on the verge of bleeding.

Ye Chengxing fell silent.

Seeing Li Jia like this, she blinked in sudden confusion. “Xiao Li didn’t know? About how taskers who linger in the world after finishing their mission grow weaker and weaker.”

Li Jia stared at her, her voice turning hoarse in an instant.

“I didn’t know…”

She truly had no idea that leaving her behind would come at such a cost.

If she had known… if only she had known, she never would have insisted on her staying.

She would rather she had left without a word.