After A Secret Marriage Agreement With A Rival Omega - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“Jian Jixing had never felt such intense soreness throughout her body, from her limbs to her face, a feeling that brought a tightness to her swollen eyes.”

Under the tree, Jian Jixing was resting with her eyes closed. She felt the soreness in her body getting worse, so she urgently needed to rest. She didn’t even watch Sheng Ruxi’s second take, knowing that Sheng Ruxi would do very well.

Yu Miaolan was beside her, looking at the footage, so excited she was practically drooling.

Jian Jixing was unusually thirsty. She felt like she was dehydrated, but she still had work to do in the afternoon. Jian Jixing didn’t want anyone to see her discomfort and hoped she could recover on her own.

She put a wet towel on her face to relieve the increasing discomfort.

“Jixing.”

“Hmm?”

When she heard someone call her, Jian Jixing’s consciousness was a bit fuzzy. She didn’t feel hot or cold, just a little muddled. She felt very comfortable half-lying in the chair and wanted to sleep.

Jian Jixing wasn’t sure if she was just tired or had caught a cold. But she was used to not showing this side of herself to others and wouldn’t allow her physical condition to delay work, so—

Aside from Yu Miaolan noticing how much she was sweating while reviewing the footage, Jian Jixing hadn’t given any other hints.

Fortunately, this part of the shoot was completed smoothly.

Sheng Ruxi’s cooperation was a huge relief. Jian Jixing let out a sigh of relief as the image of Sheng Ruxi galloping through the peach forest on her horse appeared in her mind.

It was quite beautiful.

It suited Sheng Ruxi.

It would be even better if they didn’t argue.

Thinking of this, Jian Jixing became a little more alert. She mumbled a response and slightly shifted the wet towel on her face.

“Jixing,” Ayilette said. “You and Miss Sheng, are you…” She had wanted to ask more subtly, but she wasn’t a subtle person by nature. In the end, she asked directly, “Do you like Miss Sheng?”

Jian Jixing said, “No, it’s not exactly like that.”

She lifted the towel and squinted. Seeing it was Ayilette, she let her guard down. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Still getting to know her.”

“Still getting to know her” and “not exactly like” were not the same thing.

What came after “getting to know her”?

Ayilette already had her answer. “So, you mean you admire Miss Sheng?”

Jian Jixing seemed to laugh but didn’t answer directly. “Look at the people around here. Is there anyone who doesn’t like her?”

Sheng Ruxi was so dazzling. Was there anyone who wouldn’t like her? If Sheng Ruxi were to agree, even Xie Ruizhang, who wanted to stick to her, would probably eagerly go to Sheng Ruxi to show her affection.

Thinking that Xie Ruizhang was next to film, Jian Jixing felt a bit concerned.

Xie Ruizhang enjoyed filming couples’ scenes and might make some demands during the creative process.

Ayilette wanted to discuss this with Jian Jixing. She thought for a moment and asked, “But you’re very good to her, different from how you are with others. Is she a good fit for you?”

Jian Jixing said calmly, “Ayilette. You know that liking someone has nothing to do with whether they’re a good fit for you.”

Ayilette: “How can it have nothing to do with it? My mother used to say that if two people aren’t a good match, forcing it won’t lead to a sweet result.”

Jian Jixing’s head was muddled and throbbing, but when it came to matters of the heart, especially Sheng Ruxi’s, she felt she saw things very clearly.

“So what kind of person do you think I’m more likely to fall for?” Jian Jixing asked, playing along. “If you can force a melon to be sweet, what else can’t happen?”

Ayilette frowned. “She’s not like you at all. Can’t you see? She complains about pain even from a light touch and can’t handle hardship or fatigue. Her bag is so light, yet she orders you to carry it. How can such a delicate person stand by your side?”

Such a pampered hothouse flower was clearly the polar opposite of Jian Jixing.

Jian Jixing finally laughed for real. “That’s why you don’t understand. Isn’t it a good thing that Sheng Ruxi bosses me around? It proves that I don’t like her, and she doesn’t like me, so she can boss me around with a clear conscience.”

Even now, Sheng Ruxi’s bag was still beside Jian Jixing. It was something she could have given to a staff member to hold, but Jian Jixing didn’t.

Jian Jixing lay in the chair, feeling the towel on her face start to get hot from her breath. She didn’t feel hot or sweaty anymore, but she was feeling drowsy.

Ayilette finally had an epiphany. “So you like her unilaterally.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Jian Jixing thought to herself that Sheng Ruxi absolutely couldn’t hear this, or she would remember it and use it to tease her every time.

She did wish Sheng Ruxi would mature a bit, but she also thought it was good that Sheng Ruxi stayed the way she was. Sheng Ruxi had been like this since they first met in middle school.

Ayilette continued to press her. “I never thought you would like this kind of person. She must have attracted you in some way.”

“I told you, don’t overthink it. Sheng Ruxi is very good in her field. She’s a great actress. If you ask her to do anything related to acting, she’ll do it brilliantly. But in other areas, her head is empty.”

Ayilette: “You don’t think that.”

“I do think that.” Jian Jixing said. “Everyone knows who my love interest is. Renqing must have told you.”

“Being confused about who you truly like is a sign of weakness,” Ayilette said. “I just wanted to confirm if you truly like Miss Sheng.”

She had long known that Jian Jixing had someone in her heart.

But the women of the grasslands were never evasive. If you like someone, you like them. If you like them, you go after them. If you fail, you give up.

Ayilette had once given her token of affection to Jian Jixing, but Jian Jixing had told her that her heart belonged to someone else.

It wasn’t hard to guess. The great Director Jian liked Chu Wu, a young alpha professor who was her first love from their youth. Chu Wu had gone abroad years ago and hadn’t returned.

Years had passed, and there had been no progress between Jian Jixing and Chu Wu. Jian Jixing hadn’t even gone to Chu Wu’s lab when she was filming abroad. And now she was with Sheng Ruxi.

She understood now.

“My heart belongs to someone else” was a cover. The person she truly liked was probably someone else entirely, and she had even fooled herself, never realizing that the person she cared for was a different person.

Jian Jixing again lifted the towel from her face. “Stop trying to trick me with that kind of talk. Did Renqing send you to ask?”

She had already noticed that Wang Renqing had been acting strangely for the past two days, ever since she found out that she came out of Sheng Ruxi’s tent. She kept looking at her with that strange expression.

That gossipy look. You could tell she was hiding some secret.

“What about Professor Chu?” Ayilette said. “Professor Chu hasn’t come back for years. She doesn’t like you; she’s only devoted to her experiments. She’s also a person of the ivory tower who doesn’t care about life at all.”

Jian Jixing found it strange. “So what?”

Her head was getting heavier and even painful. Her temples were throbbing incessantly. Jian Jixing was wondering when this long conversation would end. Although the person in front of her was a friend, she wanted to rest now.

Ayilette seemed determined not to let her go and continued, “What does she eat for her three meals a day? I want to know about Professor Chu Wu.”

Jian Jixing was even more baffled. “How would I know what she eats for her three meals a day? She eats at the lab cafeteria.” Besides, she had funded the lab’s research, which was enough for Chu Wu to eat very well.

Ayilette was silent for a moment. Then she said, “What time does Miss Sheng usually go to bed? I want to find her tonight. She wants me to teach her how to ride a horse.”

What?

Jian Jixing’s upper body moved. If Sheng Ruxi wanted to ride a horse, why didn’t she come to her?

“Ten o’clock,” Jian Jixing said. “Go early. She needs time for her beauty sleep. If she doesn’t get enough sleep, she’ll complain endlessly. Got it? Don’t tell her I said this.”

Ayilette sighed. “You really know her well.”

Jian Jixing pulled the towel from her face. “Ayilette, are you done talking?”

She couldn’t listen anymore. She really needed to rest. She was just spilling out all sorts of random things. Wasn’t she afraid of making Sheng Ruxi angry?

“Jian Jixing!”

Just when Jian Jixing thought she could finally rest, Sheng Ruxi’s voice came through. Jian Jixing immediately put the towel back on, but it wasn’t long before Sheng Ruxi came over like a small whirlwind and snatched the towel off Jian Jixing’s face.

“Jian Jixing!”

Jian Jixing looked at her weakly. “What’s wrong…”

Sheng Ruxi reached out.

Jian Jixing didn’t know what Sheng Ruxi was going to do and reached out to block her. Sheng Ruxi was in a hurry and directly lunged, sitting on Jian Jixing to get the towel off her face.

The chair Jian Jixing was sitting in was a normal, adjustable camping chair. It could recline at most to a 130-degree angle. Although you could rest lying down, the downside was that it was easy to lose balance.

When Sheng Ruxi lunged, Jian Jixing’s waist didn’t have any strength. She was also covering her eyes and couldn’t see clearly. Her center of gravity was instantly off-kilter.

Just as she was about to fall, Jian Jixing’s first reaction wasn’t to steady herself, but to put her arms around Sheng Ruxi’s waist.

Ayilette quickly took two steps forward to steady the chair legs and stabilized them.

Her gaze landed on Jian Jixing’s hands, which were still protecting Sheng Ruxi. She was slightly stunned.

This was Jian Jixing’s subconscious reaction.

Sheng Ruxi was still shaken. Her hands were on Jian Jixing’s shoulders. She had gone from losing her balance to being stable in an instant, and her emotions were a roller coaster. The towel on Jian Jixing’s face had fallen during this commotion, and she could hear a soft plop, which was clearly soaked with sweat.

Jian Jixing’s eyes were a bit hazy, unlike their usual clarity. The faint, half-smiling expression was gone from her face.

Sheng Ruxi still remembered to turn and thank Ayilette. “Thank goodness for you.”

“Miss Sheng, you were too reckless. In this situation—” And their piled-up position was undignified. Ayilette frowned. “If I hadn’t held the chair, both of you would have fallen to the ground.”

“Only Jian Jixing would have fallen to the ground,” Sheng Ruxi said. “But thank you anyway. Jian Jixing, get up and come with me to the visitor center.”

Ayilette was shocked by Sheng Ruxi’s complete trust in Jian Jixing. The rest of her words were a blur. She just frowned and asked, “Miss Sheng, this is too much.”

Jian Jixing gestured that she was fine, and Ayilette fell silent.

One was willing, and the other was an accomplice.

Sheng Ruxi didn’t have time to explain to Ayilette. She pulled on Jian Jixing, but Jian Jixing didn’t budge.

“What are you doing here?”

“Come with me to get your temperature checked.”

Jian Jixing: “Hmm? Why?”

Ayilette hadn’t noticed anything wrong with Jian Jixing, only that Sheng Ruxi was sitting on top of her, so Ayilette said, “Miss Sheng, you can’t be so reckless just because you feel like it. This is everyone’s break time, not your playtime.”

Sheng Ruxi was anxious. “I’m not playing around!”

She looked at Jian Jixing nervously, but she noticed that Jian Jixing was looking at her with a burning gaze. From Sheng Ruxi’s perspective, Jian Jixing’s eyes had suddenly become brighter because of the fever.

Ayilette looked closely and then asked, “Wait a minute, is it a heat?”

She was a beta, so she couldn’t tell.

“It’s not hot. She just has a high fever. Get off of me.” Sheng Ruxi was a very clean person, but at this moment, she didn’t mind Jian Jixing’s sweat at all. Jian Jixing tried to move back, but Sheng Ruxi seemed to know her intentions and pulled her close.

“Do you still have the energy to move?”

Ayilette: “…It’s not a heat?”

“No, I’ve seen her like this once before. She just has a high fever.” When Sheng Ruxi tried to get off Jian Jixing, Jian Jixing held her waist. Sheng Ruxi felt no romantic feelings and was just annoyed as she tried to pull Jian Jixing up. “What are you doing! You’re sick. Don’t you know how to talk? Are you mute?”

Seeing that Jian Jixing was just looking at her without saying anything, Sheng Ruxi realized her tone was bad and decided to be patient with a sick person. She said, “Jian Jixing, you really are something. How can you be so grown up and still be like this…”

That year in middle school, Jian Jixing had been the same. Her lips had turned pale from the fever, but she hadn’t made a sound.

If Sheng Ruxi hadn’t discovered it by chance at that time, would Jian Jixing have become an idiot?

Sheng Ruxi couldn’t move Jian Jixing and said, “Jian Jixing, say something, move. Otherwise, I’m going to get a doctor.”

Jian Jixing just stared at her, not saying a word.

Jian Jixing didn’t understand.

She wanted to know how Sheng Ruxi could tell.

Why could Sheng Ruxi always tell?

She couldn’t remember having a high fever very often. An alpha’s high fever could easily be mistaken for heat. Ayilette had never seen her like this before, so it was understandable that she would think it was a heat.

“You have a fever!” Sheng Ruxi pulled Jian Jixing, thinking she wasn’t moving because she was uncomfortable. She said to Ayilette, “Ayilette, come and help me. Let’s take her to get checked out.”

But just as Ayilette was about to come over, Jian Jixing got up. “No need, I can walk myself.”

When she stood up, she felt an extremely strong wave of dizziness. She really was uncomfortable.

Sheng Ruxi was completely tense. When she felt Jian Jixing’s body sway slightly, she immediately shouted, “Two people, come over! Help her up. I can’t lift her. Hurry! Director Jian is sick. She’s about to collapse.”

The crew members were all doing their own thing, resting or chatting. When they heard Sheng Ruxi, they all ran over, their faces filled with a “Are you still alive, Director Jian?” expression.

Jian Jixing was so startled by this scene that she felt dizzy and wished she could just pass out.

She pinched Sheng Ruxi’s shoulder and whispered a warning for her to stop. Then she forced a smile and said to the others, “I’m fine. You all go back to what you were doing.”

Sheng Ruxi was afraid Jian Jixing would fall and still wanted to call for people.

“I just have a cold, I’m not dead,” Jian Jixing said, gritting her teeth close to Sheng Ruxi’s ear. “Stop making a scene, okay?”

Sheng Ruxi: “If I don’t tell everyone you’re sick, you’ll just go hide by yourself, won’t you?”

Sheng Ruxi still remembered Jian Jixing’s high fever in middle school. She didn’t want to remember it, but that time Jian Jixing had looked like she’d been pulled from the water.

Jian Jixing had thought she still had some strength, but after this “special care” from Sheng Ruxi, she felt like she might as well be weak and helpless.

Since Sheng Ruxi was the first to discover Jian Jixing had a high fever and remembered how she had even joked about her having a cold, she, being a good person, felt a little guilty and naturally decided to take on the responsibility of caring for Jian Jixing.

Little Pigeon came over. “Sister Jixing, what’s wrong? I’ll help you. Are you okay?”

“No need—”

“No need!!”

Her emotions got a little too excited. Sheng Ruxi quickly moved all obstacles aside with her quick hands, placed Jian Jixing’s hand on her shoulder, and then reached out to pinch the philtrum on Jian Jixing’s face.

Sweat dripped from Jian Jixing. “What do you want?”

Sheng Ruxi looked at her. “I saw someone get heatstroke on set before, and someone else did this to them. This is how you do it, right?”

Jian Jixing couldn’t help but laugh angrily. “Do I have heatstroke?” With a simple high fever, she felt she was going to die at the hands of Sheng Ruxi.

Sheng Ruxi said magnanimously, “…Sorry. But you’re a patient now. I can tolerate you getting angry or doing whatever you want.” She wouldn’t let Jian Jixing move. To make Jian Jixing lean entirely on her, she held onto Jian Jixing’s wrist tightly. “Lean on me. I’ll help you to the visitor center. There’s a medical room there.”

Jian Jixing didn’t say a word, complaining inwardly, but not daring to say anything. Ayilette saw the color in her face was off and came over to help, but Jian Jixing tilted her chin, gesturing for Ayilette to stay away.

Sheng Ruxi wasn’t as tall as Jian Jixing and wasn’t wearing heels today. If Jian Jixing really lost her strength, there was no way Sheng Ruxi’s small arms and legs could hold her. Jian Jixing still had to maintain her balance, walking step-by-step with Sheng Ruxi. She also had to make eye contact with others—telling them to stay away and let Sheng Ruxi help her.

Sheng Ruxi rarely wanted to show off, and Jian Jixing was afraid that if she didn’t let her, she would be in even more trouble.

Poor Jian Jixing. Her fever hadn’t yet reached the point of making her unsteady on her feet. But after being supported by Sheng Ruxi the whole way, she was dizzy, weak, and felt like she could pass out at any moment.

Jian Jixing sat on the stool without recovering, her mouth slightly ajar, wanting to tell Sheng Ruxi never to do such a horrible thing again.

Sheng Ruxi rarely looked embarrassed and smiled. “No need to thank me. You’re a patient, after all.”

After all that fuss, Jian Jixing was truly exhausted. The delayed drowsiness finally came. She said with effort, “Continue with the afternoon shoot. Let Xie Ruizhang handle it.”

It was just some empty shots of the scenery, which Xie Ruizhang could handle.

Their original plan was to finish filming in the scenic area. They still had to film the night scenery and a few scenes in the commercial street for the next two days. After that, they would return to the camp to rest and then continue with the next part of the shoot.

Jian Jixing wasn’t a person who would disrupt the entire team’s plan for her own sake, so she hadn’t planned on saying anything from the start. If Sheng Ruxi hadn’t found out, she would have continued reviewing the footage.

Thinking of this, Jian Jixing said, “Call Yu Miaolan over. I want to see the second take you shot. The footage from the past few days can be put together now. I—”

Sheng Ruxi stepped forward and pinched Jian Jixing’s mouth, manually shutting her up.

“Can’t you rest first?” Sheng Ruxi knew that a high fever would cause pain and weakness throughout the body. When she was a child, even a slight fever made her miserable, and her whole family would take turns caring for her.

After saying that, Sheng Ruxi turned to the doctor. “Doctor, can you give her something to calm her down?”

The doctor smiled gently. After taking out a thermometer, he was surprised. “Forty degrees. How did this happen? Why did you bring her so late?”

Jian Jixing answered herself. “I probably caught a cold a couple of days ago. I just started coughing today and didn’t think much of it.”

Sheng Ruxi hissed and drew a breath, unsure of what to say to Jian Jixing. This person really didn’t take care of herself. She frowned.

Jian Jixing lowered her voice. “All right, I want to rest by myself.”

Sheng Ruxi thought for a moment and didn’t leave. She waited for the doctor to finish his basic examination. Jian Jixing didn’t agree to an IV, so the doctor told her to take a fever reducer immediately and rest in the medical room.

Ayilette watched the whole thing from the side and even asked the doctor if it was a heat. She received a negative answer.

Sheng Ruxi was right. Although the symptoms were very similar to a heat, Jian Jixing just had a high fever.

Jian Jixing lay on the bed with her eyes closed after taking the medicine.

The other staff members also came over to see how Jian Jixing was doing. Sheng Ruxi asked Ayilette to block them.

“You’re going to take care of… her?” Ayilette looked at Sheng Ruxi with a suspicious gaze.

Sheng Ruxi was full of confidence. “I have a knack for taking care of her when she has a fever.” This wasn’t the first time, though the first time was many years ago.

After everyone left, Sheng Ruxi looked down at Jian Jixing’s pale face. She really didn’t understand how Jian Jixing could torment herself like this.

“Asleep?” Sheng Ruxi held her hand in front of Jian Jixing’s eyes. She didn’t move. She then neatly placed Jian Jixing’s arms on the bed beside her. “Looks like she’s fast asleep.”

Jian Jixing didn’t open her eyes. “Thanks to you, I’m wide awake now.”

Sheng Ruxi sighed. “How come you haven’t grown up in all these years? Even your sick appearance is the same as it was ten years ago.”

This sentence made Jian Jixing fall silent. Sheng Ruxi pulled a backless stool and sat by the bed. She had to sit up straight.

“I’ll just watch you sleep and see when your temperature goes down.” If it didn’t go down, she would need an IV. Someone had to watch her. Sheng Ruxi was afraid Jian Jixing would burn up and become an idiot.

She felt like she was a reliable person at this time. Sheng Ruxi touched Jian Jixing’s cheek. She stopped joking and said seriously, “Hurry and sleep, okay? Once you’re asleep, the pain will go away.”

Jian Jixing still didn’t open her eyes. It felt like a dream. Sheng Ruxi was actually taking care of her. She didn’t know if this was a nightmare or a sweet dream, but either way, she didn’t want to open her eyes.

A while later, Jian Jixing’s breathing became long and even. She was asleep. Sheng Ruxi finally let out a long breath and stood up to stretch her sore back. She quietly walked to the door and made a few phone calls, her voice kept low.

“Dr. Tang, it’s nothing. Jian Jixing has a fever. What else can I do? Ah… electrolyte water, vitamin C, and physical cooling. Is she in pain?”

“Okay, I got it.”

A while later, she paced and made another phone call. “Mom, what do I do after a fever? It’s not me; it’s Jian Jixing. Yes, she suddenly got like this and wouldn’t rest! Eat light meals… Okay, but what if there’s no takeout here?”

“No, no! Don’t you dare contact her. Let the workaholic get some sleep. I’ll secretly tell you everything, okay?”

Jian Jixing opened her eyes and looked at Sheng Ruxi. The person standing by the door seemed to be jotting down something on her phone’s notes and muttering to herself.

Sheng Ruxi’s voice was very soft, but Jian Jixing could hear her clearly. She was taking notes on what her mother and Dr. Tang had told her to do.

Some childhood memories and this moment merged together. Jian Jixing had never felt such intense soreness throughout her body, from her limbs to her face, a feeling that brought a tightness to her swollen eyes.

She wanted to laugh to hide her welling emotions. It is true that people become vulnerable when they’re sick. At this moment, Jian Jixing finally relaxed and let out a shallow breath.

After confirming that this wasn’t a dream, Jian Jixing turned her face toward the door and finally fell asleep in peace.