After A Secret Marriage Agreement With A Rival Omega - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

“I want to hold you.”

The phone lay on the blanket. Jian Jixing didn’t hang up; she just muted her end and turned the screen face down so Chu Wu couldn’t see what was happening.

Her gaze fell on Sheng Ruxi, who was genuinely walking toward her, and her heart felt a subtle tremor.

Sheng Ruxi was a contradictory person. She clearly hated her to death, yet she couldn’t leave and was still here to take care of her. This was the first time Jian Jixing felt that there was a connection between them.

This seemingly fragile thread was controlled by Sheng Ruxi. The end of the thread was in Sheng Ruxi’s hand, and she could let go and leave at any time. She could scold her, misunderstand her, say bad things about her, and even after the most heated arguments, Sheng Ruxi’s grip remained steady; she had never truly let go of the thread.

Therefore, Jian Jixing only needed to give a gentle tug, perhaps just two quiet calls, and she would come back.

Was this the privilege of being a patient that Sheng Ruxi spoke of? Jian Jixing breathed softly, but in reality, all the things Sheng Ruxi had said before she went to sleep were replaying in her mind.

Sheng Ruxi was taking care of her.

Sheng Ruxi had even asked others for advice on how to take care of her.

She even wanted her to feel better and mistakenly thought she wanted to see Chu Wu.

They were both alphas. Why would she want to see Chu Wu? Hearing Chu Wu’s voice in this special situation just annoyed her.

Sheng Ruxi was still fuming, but she came over, took the phone, and held it up to Jian Jixing with a reluctant expression. “If you want to talk to Wuwu, just do it quickly.”

Jian Jixing met Chu Wu’s gaze on the screen and “tisked.”

Chu Wu rubbed her forehead, having already understood what Jian Jixing meant.

“Hang up,” Jian Jixing said. “I never said I wanted to call Chu Wu.”

“So I called her for you!” Sheng Ruxi became more and more impatient. “Are you feeling any better?”

Jian Jixing said, “I’m dizzy, my head is swollen, my limbs are weak, and I think I saw my great-grandmother.”

Chu Wu remained silent on the other end, watching Jian Jixing’s performance quietly. Sheng Ruxi didn’t look at the screen; her attention was entirely on Jian Jixing.

Jian Jixing continued, “Didn’t you say you would tolerate me as a patient? Sit down.”

“I tolerate normal patients, but you’re not normal.”

Jian Jixing’s lips unconsciously curved. “I’m in this state, and you’re still worried about what I’ll do to you?”

“I think you really have a fever and burned your brain.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Jian Jixing tilted her chin. “When I was lying down and sleeping, I think I heard you telling Little Pigeon that you thought I was much easier to get along with in this state.”

This was too much. That was what she had been thinking. How did Jian Jixing hear that?

Sheng Ruxi looked down at the phone and found that Chu Wu hadn’t hung up yet. She changed the subject, immediately unmuting the phone and saying to Chu Wu, “Jian Jixing has a high fever and wants you to come back and take care of her.”

Jian Jixing’s teeth ached. When had she ever said such a thing? Sheng Ruxi was the only one doing outrageous things.

Chu Wu remained clear-headed. “By the time I buy a ticket and come back, Jixing should already be recovered.”

Sheng Ruxi pointed at Chu Wu on the screen, then turned to Jian Jixing and said directly, “See? She won’t even come back when you’re sick. You’re not in her heart.”

Jian Jixing said with a half-smile, “If you put it that way, anyone who shows up in front of me has me in their heart.”

Chu Wu said with relief, “Jixing, it’s great that you’ve come to this realization.”

Sheng Ruxi didn’t understand Jian Jixing’s words at all and repeated, “Did you see? Did you understand what I said?”

“I saw. Hang up.” Jian Jixing ignored her childish behavior. “Seeing you like this makes me feel even more pain.”

Sheng Ruxi was speechless. “Didn’t you say that doing this would relieve the pain?”

“Where did I ever say that?” Jian Jixing sighed and reached out to poke Sheng Ruxi’s forehead, but she dodged. “Who’s the confused one here?”

“Okay, okay, stop arguing…” Chu Wu tried to mediate from her end. “Did you take your medicine? From the background, it looks like you’re already in the hospital. The conditions there aren’t great to begin with, so don’t let it get worse.”

Jian Jixing had actually felt much better since she woke up. She answered, “Thanks to Sheng Ruxi, I’m one step away from death.”

Just as Sheng Ruxi was about to explode, Jian Jixing added, “But she took very good care of me. She’s been helping me with physical cooling and also gave me a lot of vitamin C.”

She continued, “One step is hell, and one step is heaven. Fortunately, Sheng Ruxi dragged me back. I think I’m in heaven now.”

Even Chu Wu was amused, but Sheng Ruxi was stunned.

When Jian Jixing was asleep, she never thought she would thank her. When she actually heard it from Jian Jixing’s mouth, she was the one who became embarrassed.

Taking advantage of Sheng Ruxi’s dazed state, Jian Jixing took the phone from her hand, said goodbye to Chu Wu, and hung up. Then she stared at Sheng Ruxi.

Sheng Ruxi met her gaze directly. “Why did you hang up? Don’t you want to see Chu Wu?”

Jian Jixing’s gaze lingered on Sheng Ruxi’s face for a moment, and she held back the words she wanted to say, replacing them with a simple, “Distant water can’t quench immediate thirst.”

“What do you want?” Sheng Ruxi looked at Jian Jixing with a bit of wariness, instinctively sensing danger.

Jian Jixing raised an eyebrow, motioned for her to come closer, and exposed her forehead, using the exact same words as before: “Feel it.”

Sheng Ruxi hesitated for a moment but still reached out to check Jian Jixing’s temperature.

It was still hot.

“Can’t we just talk properly?” Jian Jixing patted the spot beside her. “Sit down. I won’t do anything to you.”

Sheng Ruxi sat down without hesitation. She wasn’t afraid of what Jian Jixing would do to her; what displeased her was that Jian Jixing kept making light of her own physical condition.

She was acting like it was no big deal.

Sheng Ruxi, however, was constantly observing her, watching to see if Jian Jixing would unintentionally frown.

Not once.

And not even when she was talking to Chu Wu.

Didn’t she like Chu Wu? Couldn’t she show even a little bit of weakness in front of the person she supposedly liked?

So what was the point of a relationship between two alphas?

Sheng Ruxi watched Jian Jixing for a long time, the more she thought, the more she didn’t understand. She still sat down and turned her head, pushing her hair away to expose her neck.

“If you’re really hurting, go ahead and smell. Just bite lightly if you want,” Sheng Ruxi said, lowering her gaze to Jian Jixing’s pale fingertips. “I’m returning the favor.”

If comforting pheromones could really make Jian Jixing feel a little better, why not give her some? She had plenty of pheromones, but Jian Jixing didn’t.

This time, Sheng Ruxi was indeed too generous. So generous that Jian Jixing felt ashamed of her earlier thoughts. She laughed and shook her head, saying, “If I smell any more, my heat is really going to come.”

Sheng Ruxi’s breath hitched. “I said I’d help you anyway. If it comes early, we can just go back to the villa ahead of time.”

Jian Jixing lay back down. She looked at Sheng Ruxi as if she was seeing her for the first time. She wasn’t used to Sheng Ruxi’s genuine generosity, which was free of any sarcasm.

If this was a special treatment that came with being sick, she admitted that she had gotten a taste of sweetness. People were like that; once they tasted sweetness, they wanted more.

She looked at Sheng Ruxi’s lips. If she hadn’t just gotten over a high fever, she probably wouldn’t have been able to resist asking Sheng Ruxi if she could kiss her.

The room was filled with Sheng Ruxi’s pheromones. Jian Jixing had smelled them the moment she woke up. They were faint but just enough to help her get a truly restful sleep.

The soft light from outside filtered in, hitting Sheng Ruxi’s fair face. The warmth and transparency blended, and she looked like a dreamy scene.

Jian Jixing, watching from this close, felt like she was admiring an oil painting.

She was an expert at appreciating this kind of vibrant beauty, and Sheng Ruxi was skilled at showcasing her beauty.

So, even though Sheng Ruxi knew Jian Jixing was watching her, she showed no shyness and simply curled her lips.

“Since you’re so weak, I won’t argue with you.” Sheng Ruxi finally sat down beside Jian Jixing. The doctor came over at that moment to take Jian Jixing’s temperature and said it was already going down.

“Doctor, what about the soreness and pain?” Sheng Ruxi still remembered that.

Jian Jixing wanted to say something, but Sheng Ruxi’s look cut her off.

“Eat something to recover,” the doctor said. “It’s all part of the process. Miss Jian, Miss Sheng has been taking care of you for a long time. You should listen to her.”

Sheng Ruxi pretended to frown. “No, I haven’t. I just finished work and decided to help out.”

After she said that, she leaned in close to Jian Jixing’s ear to emphasize, “It’s because I felt bad about making you carry my bag when you were sick. There’s nothing more to it.”

Jian Jixing: “I promise I won’t overthink it.”

As soon as the doctor left, Little Pigeon called out from outside, “Miss Sheng, can we come in?”

“We”?

Before she could distinguish who, the voices were already inside.

“Director Jian! Director Jian!”

“Jixing, are you feeling better?”

“Let me in first—”

A large group of people had come: Xie Ruizhang, who had finished filming, Ayilette, who was holding something, and a group of crew members. This was a small place, and so many people coming in at once was inconvenient.

Sheng Ruxi quickly got up and said, “Don’t be loud. Those who can come in, come in. Those who can’t, don’t.”

Xie Ruizhang rushed to Jian Jixing’s bedside, only to be pulled away by Ayilette. The others were all talking at once, wanting to get as close to Jian Jixing as possible, but Sheng Ruxi was firmly occupying the position.

This was a scene Jian Jixing was very unaccustomed to. She had never liked telling people she was sick; she felt it was a small matter.

But for some reason, at the moment everyone rushed over, even that annoying alpha Xie Ruizhang seemed a little more pleasant.

Ayilette looked at Jian Jixing’s face, then at the basin on the table, and handed the food container in her hand to Sheng Ruxi.

“This is the porridge Miss Sheng said she was going to make for you,” Ayilette said, calling Xie Ruizhang over. “The place for us to stay tonight has been arranged outside the scenic area. Old Zhang is waiting outside. Let’s go first.”

Sheng Ruxi said she understood and would come over when Jian Jixing’s temperature was normal.

As Ayilette was leaving, she said, “I never thought you’d be able to take care of someone.”

Xie Ruizhang was the last to leave, dragging her feet. She had brought two room cards, one for Sheng Ruxi and one for Jian Jixing. Before she left, she said earnestly, “Director Jian, why don’t you stay with someone tonight?”

After she said that, she realized her words could be misinterpreted and added, “I mean, in a room with a double bed, so it’s more convenient to take care of you.”

It would be a miracle if Xie Ruizhang was allowed to take care of Jian Jixing. Xie Ruizhang had a history. In the tent, she had tried to force a relationship with Jian Jixing. Now that Jian Jixing was in a weakened state, who knew what she would do?

So Jian Jixing didn’t even need to voice her objections; Sheng Ruxi immediately rejected her.

Sheng Ruxi sneered. “What you just said is truly hilarious, Director Xie. What are you planning on doing?”

Xie Ruizhang defended herself awkwardly. “Why are you talking like that? I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“What are you trying to hide with a double bed? You can do bad things without a bed, let alone with two.” Sheng Ruxi was ruthless when she spoke.

Xie Ruizhang said anxiously, “I’m just worried about Director Jian! Really. Who else is here to take care of her?”

Jian Jixing wanted to say she didn’t need to be taken care of at all, but she heard Sheng Ruxi say, “Me. Who is more suitable than me?”

They were voted the most unlikely AO to ever get together.

With Sheng Ruxi putting it that way, even Xie Ruizhang couldn’t argue and could only walk away dejectedly.

The large group of people left, and Jian Jixing’s phone rang again. This time it wasn’t anyone else. First, Wang Renqing called to ask how she was doing, and then Sheng Ruxi’s mother, Fang Wanning.

When Fang Wanning called, Sheng Ruxi’s father, Sheng Xuan, also extended his regards.

Jian Jixing was a little overwhelmed and repeatedly said that she was fine under Sheng Ruxi’s care. Fang Wanning also praised the gift Jian Jixing had sent over and over again.

After hanging up, Jian Jixing was still a bit dazed. She slowly let out a breath and massaged her temples.

—Too many people were concerned about her. It was just a high fever, and Sheng Ruxi had announced it to the whole world.

“What’s wrong?” Sheng Ruxi opened the food container and let the hot porridge cool down.

Jian Jixing glanced at the porridge. It was very light, with minced meat, vegetables, and tofu.

“I’m not used to this,” Jian Jixing said, but her heart clearly felt a soft warmth.

“Why not?” Sheng Ruxi asked curiously as she handed Jian Jixing a spoon. “Isn’t it nice to have people care about you? You need to be taken care of.”

Jian Jixing looked at Sheng Ruxi’s clumsy movements and said, “I’m the oldest child in my family. I haven’t needed much care since I was young.”

She was the first child born into the Yan and Jian families. Jian Yichuan had always groomed her to be his successor, setting her future path and telling her she had to be calm and steady.

In this regard, her upbringing was indeed different from Sheng Ruxi’s.

Sheng Ruxi was the youngest daughter and had received the love and care of her entire family since she was a child.

Jian Jixing’s expression was calm, but Sheng Ruxi suddenly remembered—

When she had dinner at Jian Jixing’s house that day, Yan Yaojin had naturally praised Yan Huaixi’s test scores.

She felt a slight discomfort in her heart but couldn’t pinpoint the source of it.

“What is this?” Jian Jixing asked on her own accord. Sheng Ruxi said, “The doctor said you should eat something light, so this is minced meat and tofu soup.”

“You’re so smart.” Jian Jixing couldn’t help but laugh. “How do you always manage to choose the one option I dislike?”

She didn’t like to eat tofu; she found it tasteless no matter how it was prepared.

“Don’t drink it, then.”

After hearing that, Jian Jixing obediently started to drink, which surprised Sheng Ruxi.

After drinking the hot porridge, Jian Jixing broke into a sweat, and the last of her fever finally came down. Only then did Sheng Ruxi truly feel at ease and took Jian Jixing back to the hotel.

Sheng Ruxi needed her beauty sleep, and since Jian Jixing was a patient, Sheng Ruxi insisted she not stay up late. They went to bed early together. At 9:55 p.m., the lights in their room were turned off on time.

Jian Jixing’s condition was much better. She had slept in the afternoon and wasn’t sleepy now, but she was a very well-behaved person once she lay down and didn’t move.

Unlike Sheng Ruxi, who was constantly moving. Her clothes rustled against the sheets and blankets, making occasional sounds. This was usually the prelude to something important, and she felt that Sheng Ruxi was about to say something big.

Sure enough, a moment later, she heard Sheng Ruxi’s voice.

“Can you tell me why you liked Wuwu in middle school?”

Jian Jixing didn’t even open her eyes. “I don’t remember.”

Sheng Ruxi was surprised. “How can you forget why you liked someone?!”

“Then why did you like Chu Wu?”

Sheng Ruxi immediately said, “Do I need a reason to like someone?”

Listening to her double standard, Jian Jixing couldn’t help but laugh out loud and opened her eyes.

Jian Jixing didn’t really forget. It was easy to figure out if you just thought about it. She wondered why Sheng Ruxi didn’t know.

She said she was pursuing her, but Jian Jixing and Chu Wu actually started as friends. Chu Wu had a very early differentiation and was the campus belle, fitting all the qualities of a perfect partner in her youth. Not just her peers, but even the parents liked Chu Wu.

Jian Jixing said, “My alpha mother thought Chu Wu was a very suitable child. The situation in our family was different back then; it was a period that required a lot of stability.”

The family didn’t care if the partner was an alpha or an omega, but they had to be absolutely excellent and suitable. Prominent families preferred to choose excellent children from well-known backgrounds for their own children.

However, back then, they weren’t trying to force the two children together. Jian Jixing and Chu Wu started as friends. If Sheng Ruxi hadn’t been competing with her all the time, they probably wouldn’t have made any progress.

That year, Yan Yaojin also got pregnant, and she was supposed to marry Yue Ai on schedule.

If it weren’t for that accident in middle school.

Jian Jixing’s gaze darkened as she briefly fell into her memories.

Sheng Ruxi noticed that Jian Jixing’s mood seemed to have dropped instantly and said half-jokingly, “I only know you have Pheromone Disorder. I don’t know how you got it.”

Jian Jixing smiled, as usual, and said playfully, “What? You want to know about me? Have you fallen for me?”

“Can you be serious for once? If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. Don’t use that kind of talk to annoy me,” Sheng Ruxi said, lying on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. After a while, she said, “I just feel like I’ve never really known you. I was afraid you couldn’t sleep tonight and just wanted to chat. Don’t overthink it.”

After a long pause, Jian Jixing suddenly said, “The day you found me delirious with fever was the day I was differentiating.”

Sheng Ruxi was so shocked she almost sat up from the bed. “You…” What on earth was your family doing?

Adolescents nearing their differentiation period, as long as there’s any abnormal pheromone fluctuation, would be told to take a long leave from school until the differentiation was complete. More cautious parents would take a leave of absence two months in advance to ensure their child went through the differentiation period smoothly.

The day Sheng Ruxi found Jian Jixing, Jian Jixing had never mentioned that she was in the middle of her differentiation.

They didn’t have evening classes. That day was the last class of the afternoon. But Jian Jixing had missed class.

When Sheng Ruxi found Jian Jixing that day, her face was pale, and she was drenched as if she had been pulled out of the water. She was wrapped in a black blanket, almost blending into the shadows.

Sheng Ruxi finally managed to get Jian Jixing to the school nurse’s office, but in the time it took to turn around, Jian Jixing was gone.

Sheng Ruxi caught up with her on the road. Jian Jixing was only muttering that she wanted to go home. Sheng Ruxi called her driver to pick them up, but with another turn, Jian Jixing directly jumped onto an empty school bus that was about to leave.

Sheng Ruxi was so angry that she hailed a taxi and chased after Jian Jixing, even forgetting that she was supposed to wait for Chu Wu to go home with her.

Looking back now, that was probably Jian Jixing trying to instinctively avoid Sheng Ruxi, an omega, to prevent herself from losing control during her differentiation.

Sheng Ruxi gasped. “Could it be that, that your Pheromone Disorder now is because I came back later—”

“No, it’s not because of you. I had been burning with fever for a long time before you found me,” Jian Jixing said softly. “I’m actually grateful you took care of me that day. That’s when I was truly delirious with fever, and my memories are all jumbled.”

The symptoms of her fever and her differentiation overlapped, making it difficult even for her to distinguish. She was sometimes clear-headed and sometimes confused.

She should be grateful to Sheng Ruxi. At least she had safely sent her home.

And the last conscious image Jian Jixing had was of herself forcefully driving Sheng Ruxi away.

Sheng Ruxi immediately flipped over to lie on her side, facing Jian Jixing, but she was hesitant to speak.

She had wanted to ask, “Why wasn’t there anyone to take care of you that night?” She had gone back and knocked on the door to Jian Jixing’s house, and only Jian Jixing was there.

But she didn’t want to ask now. She seemed to understand a little bit of Jian Jixing’s silence.

In the darkness, Jian Jixing calmed herself down, tossing those fragmented memories out of her mind. She said in a very calm voice, “Okay, let’s sleep.”

Sheng Ruxi tossed and turned on her bed. She suddenly felt that this bed was actually quite big, as was the room. It suddenly made her and Jian Jixing feel so far apart. She was a little unaccustomed to this distance and wanted to do something to close it.

“What’s wrong?”

Sheng Ruxi found a lame excuse. “The blanket seems a little stiff, and so are the sheets. It’s a little uncomfortable to sleep.”

The reason was plausible. Jian Jixing remembered how pampered Sheng Ruxi was at home. It was indeed a sacrifice for her to sleep in a bed like this to take care of her. Jian Jixing thought for a moment and said, “I’d like to help you, but you probably wouldn’t want to use my clothes as a blanket.”

Sheng Ruxi said, “I’ve been tossing and turning. Maybe I’ve wrinkled it.”

“It’s not that easy,” Jian Jixing said with a laugh. “Are you going to ask someone to come and change the sheets for you at this hour?”

“It’s not that much trouble. You have a spare one right there, don’t you?”

Jian Jixing: “Mine isn’t wrinkled?” She thought Sheng Ruxi wanted to switch beds with her. She had no objection to that.

Sheng Ruxi’s breath hitched, and she secretly squeezed the corner of her blanket. “Are you stupid? I mean… Can I come to sleep in your bed?” She paused and then said, “It’s not like we’ve never slept together before.”

Jian Jixing thought about her physical condition and said sincerely, “It’s not a good time for that.”

Sheng Ruxi wanted to curse but held back. “I mean just sleeping!”

“What do you really want?”

Jian Jixing felt a strange sensation. She wasn’t used to Sheng Ruxi’s pace and decided to ask directly.

Sheng Ruxi suddenly sat up from the bed and said something softly.

Jian Jixing repeated, “What… Did you say?” She had actually heard her clearly, but she couldn’t believe those words had come from Sheng Ruxi’s mouth.

Sheng Ruxi’s face turned red. She rubbed her eyes with both hands. She decided to just let it all out and said in an exasperated, louder voice, “I said, can I give you a hug? Just one hug, Jian Jixing, can I?! Are you happy now?”