After Entering A Marriage of Convenience With My Omega Rival - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kiss me, and see if I possess that sliver of sincerity you seek.

Jian Jixing picked up the phone.

The back of the device was slightly warm, a clear sign that Sheng Ruxi had been using it just moments before she entered.

The bedsheets were wrinkled, and a sleeve was peeking out from beneath the duvet near the edge of the bed. Jian Jixing had keen eyes; she recognized it instantly—it was her own jacket.

Sheng Ruxi possessed a powerful sense of conviction in her acting. When pretending to be asleep, not a single eyelash fluttered. Unfortunately, the little fox had failed to hide her tail.

Jian Jixing signaled for Tuanzi to leave with a glance, watching Sheng Ruxi’s performance with amusement.

If the phone hadn’t rung, she would have watched a little longer. Since Sheng Ruxi could still fake sleep, it meant her body was likely no longer in danger.

She knew exactly who “Fufu” was.

She said the name aloud specifically to break Sheng Ruxi’s focus and force her to wake up. Her relationship with Sheng Ruxi wasn’t quite at the level where she could casually answer her phone.

Yan Fuzheng didn’t get an answer, but she didn’t hang up either, letting it ring persistently until the very last second.

“She’s sleeping so soundly. Surely she hasn’t fainted again?” Jian Jixing said intentionally. She reached out to check Sheng Ruxi’s breathing, her fingertips pressing down as if she were planning to pinch the actress’s philtrum to wake her up.

Sheng Ruxi remained motionless on the bed, though internally she was screaming at Jian Jixing for being unreasonable. Is this how you treat a patient?!

Jian Jixing moved her hand away, only to gently place it over Sheng Ruxi’s soft palm a moment later. She sighed. “Ruxi, nothing can happen to you. If something does, how will I explain it to the family?”

Good God. Sheng Ruxi could tolerate many things, but that tone sent a wave of goosebumps across her skin. She nearly jumped up to kick Jian Jixing.

When Yan Fuzheng called again, Jian Jixing gave a small smile. This time, she tapped the screen to silence it, but let the phone keep vibrating.

“I have no choice. She might have an emergency.”

Looking helpless, Jian Jixing pressed “Accept.” Yan Fuzheng, finally connected, didn’t even wait to see who was on the other end before launching into a powerful verbal assault:

“Something’s not right, Ruxi. Jian Jixing doesn’t look like she’s incapable. How did she manage to stifle you to this point?”

Stop talking! Shut your mouth!!

Sheng Ruxi wanted to bolt upright again, but the thought that Jian Jixing was the one listening forced her to endure it once more.

Yan Fuzheng wasn’t an idiot; once she heard Jian Jixing’s voice, she surely wouldn’t spill anything more—

But Jian Jixing remained silent.

“You can’t keep holding it in like this. You say the ‘hate-making’ rights are in your hands, but in reality, your basic physical needs aren’t even being met,” Yan Fuzheng sighed. “How about this: go find Professor Chu? Or go back to the hospital and ask a doctor if Jian Jixing is actually impotent? Imagine turning away from a beauty like you.”

Sheng Ruxi’s heart finally died.

“Say something! Don’t let your anger turn you stupid. Weren’t we chatting happily just now?”

Sheng Ruxi could no longer take it. She snapped her eyes open and sat up instantly.

But in that same moment, she saw Jian Jixing smiling as she spoke into the phone: “Hello. This is Jian Jixing. I’ve heard much about you.”

Yan Fuzheng: “…”

As Sheng Ruxi reached for the phone, Jian Jixing tapped the speakerphone with one hand while easily pinning Sheng Ruxi back against the pillow with the other.

“I believe you may have some misunderstandings about me,” Jian Jixing said, her brow arching slightly in a tone of professional self-restraint. “You are welcome to visit our home in the future.”

Yan Fuzheng hung up immediately to save her own life.

Jian Jixing kept her position as she set the phone down beside Sheng Ruxi. “So energetic. It seems you’ve recovered.”

Sheng Ruxi’s face was burning. While she felt the embarrassment of being caught, she was far more furious at Jian Jixing.

Even caught faking sleep, her aura didn’t diminish. “Who told you to come over? Fufu and I joke around like that all the time. Don’t read into it.”

Jian Jixing’s expression softened into a gentle, albeit dangerous, look. “It seems you covet Chu Wu quite often if it leads your friend to believe I am ‘incapable’.”

The word “incapable” carried a heavy sense of danger.

Sheng Ruxi’s neck stiffened. The air in the room suddenly felt cold. She wanted to keep snapping back, but she had a sinking feeling she couldn’t win a fight right now.

Jian Jixing gave a light chuckle and released her. She poured a glass of water, adjusted the bed to a sitting position, and placed a pillow behind Sheng Ruxi’s back for comfort.

Sheng Ruxi stared at her the entire time.

Acting as if she didn’t notice the gaze, Jian Jixing reached onto the bed and pulled her crumpled jacket out from under the covers right in front of the actress.

Sheng Ruxi immediately looked away, focusing intently on drinking her water with a haughty expression. “What are you doing here?”

Jian Jixing surveyed the spacious ward before turning her gaze back to Sheng Ruxi.

“If I didn’t come, how would I know you think of me this way? To think that simply because I wasn’t on the helicopter, you’d faint from thinking about it.”

Her tone was heavy with double meaning. Sheng Ruxi caught the faint hint of ambiguity and pushed her away with a cold face. “Stop flattering yourself.”

Jian Jixing looked at her and let out a mocking laugh. “What? You want me to leave early so you can go find Chu Wu for a ‘solution’?”

Having heard Yan Fuzheng’s words, it was impossible to continue playing dumb.

“Whomever I seek has nothing to do with you.”

It was ridiculous.

She was an Omega who had already accepted Jian Jixing’s mark. Who would be bored enough to seek another Alpha for physical needs? Her upbringing and respect for the spirit of their contract wouldn’t allow it.

Sheng Ruxi’s face went cold at the absurdity of the comment.

After a long silence, Jian Jixing took two steps back and began walking toward the door without a word.

Sheng Ruxi grabbed the jacket and hurled it at her. It wasn’t actually going to hit her.

But Jian Jixing turned quickly, stepped forward, and caught the jacket. She tucked it back into the blankets with a natural motion, narrowing her eyes slightly. “I haven’t even left yet. Why are you already chasing me out?”

What? She was clearly about to leave. How could she turn it around and blame her?

Sheng Ruxi finally let out a sound of frustration, glaring at Jian Jixing.

“I’m chasing you? Stay as long as you like! I truly don’t understand how your brain works. It would have been better if you hadn’t come at all…”

Her voice trailed off, her eyes dropping as her thick, dark lashes trembled.

Sheng Ruxi knew she couldn’t fix the habit of tearing up whenever she felt wronged. It hadn’t happened in a long time, but Jian Jixing’s words were so aggravating they left her feeling stifled from her heart to her throat.

Jian Jixing watched her silently, letting her vent, until Sheng Ruxi turned her face away and stopped talking.

She slowly picked up the untouched glass of water and held it out. “You should drink some water before you keep scolding me. I’m afraid you’ll get thirsty.”

This was an olive branch. Normally, Sheng Ruxi would have recognized it.

But today, she was miserable.

As the glass approached her hand, Sheng Ruxi swept it aside without mercy.

The glass tilted, but Jian Jixing caught it before it fell. Half the water splashed onto her trousers, creating a dark stain. She set the glass back on the table.

“You don’t welcome me,” Jian Jixing said calmly, her tone indifferent. “The role of Travel Experience Ambassador isn’t easy here. The terrain is complex, and it lacks city comforts. It might not suit you.”

Regardless of the reason, this fainting spell proved that Sheng Ruxi’s body hadn’t fully adapted.

Sheng Ruxi was annoyed but wouldn’t tell her the real problem. Even though Jian Jixing had guessed part of it, she couldn’t force it out of her.

Jian Jixing said softly, “In any matter, cutting your losses is the best way.”

The room fell silent.

Both were in a strange state; logically, the conversation should have ended there.

But the agitation in Sheng Ruxi’s heart surged again. The pillow behind her felt like a rock pressing into her soul.

She glanced at the water stain on Jian Jixing’s pants and laughed. “If everyone always cut their losses, where would the thrill of adventure be?”

She raised her hand, pointing a slender finger at Jian Jixing. “The unexpected, the twists and turns—only when something eventually becomes a toy in my hand is it truly interesting.”

Sheng Ruxi’s expression was dazzling. It was as if she could demand the stars and the moon, and they would descend from the heavens just to land in her palm.

A question that had lingered in Jian Jixing’s heart for a long time finally surfaced like a bubble, rising until it popped, leaving ripples behind.

“Including marrying me?”

Sheng Ruxi curled her lips and leaned back, answering with a question of her own: “What do you think?”

Marriage was no joke. Their elders had arranged it with no intention of them ever divorcing; they were constantly pushed to cultivate their feelings.

Jian Jixing knew that in the year-long treatment they were undergoing, she owed Sheng Ruxi more. Even if Sheng Ruxi had entered the marriage out of spite. For that reason, she would always yield a little.

“Sheng Ruxi,” Jian Jixing stopped standing by the edge of the bed. She leaned down, forcing herself to look directly into those beautiful eyes. “Besides annoying me and appeasing our families, what other reason did you have for marrying me?”

Sheng Ruxi smiled, her lips parting as a faint, elegant fragrance drifted out. “None.”

Jian Jixing spoke slowly: “Many high-society marriages are nothing more than contracts, yet they endure. Qin Qinyan and He Xiao, who went public last year, are holding their anniversary gala next month.”

“Other people are other people. What are we?” Sheng Ruxi looked at her coldly. “Love rivals. We were from the start, and we will be until we…”

She wanted to say “until the year is up and Wuwu returns.” But for some reason, she couldn’t finish the sentence.

They were close enough for their breaths to mingle, but their words were like thin ice—cold and sharp.

Jian Jixing’s gaze dropped to Sheng Ruxi’s lips.

Breath was close, lips were soft; they looked like lovers. Sheng Ruxi’s words were cold, but her breath was warm and gentle. Jian Jixing didn’t care about the nonsense she had just spewed.

The owner of those lips could act spoiled, complain, get angry, cry, and moan—but she wouldn’t yield, and she wouldn’t kiss.

After a moment of silence, Jian Jixing said, “Of our regulated twelve times, there are eight left.”

To be precise, eight times each, totaling sixteen.

Sheng Ruxi looked at her in surprise. At a time like this, when her condition was so unstable, the first thing Jian Jixing thought of was their unfinished agreement! Even now, she was only interested in settling accounts.

The jacket that had been tucked in with her, warmed by her skin, was suddenly snatched up and flung at Jian Jixing.

The latter caught it and stepped back. She didn’t ask why, simply setting the jacket aside.

That was it.

Jian Jixing was naturally aloof and proud; her moments of frustration or helplessness were the exceptions. A person like this was truly loathsome.

Jian Jixing was an Alpha. She had agreed to the marriage knowing that an Alpha would never lose out; she had the advantage and the control.

But Sheng Ruxi had never had the word “obey” in her dictionary.

Sheng Ruxi had once thought that if they weren’t rivals, perhaps they could have gotten along over time.

Now, she took it back.

“I know. This is just a transaction,” Sheng Ruxi said with a smile, as if talking to herself. “Where would there be a shred of sincerity?”

Jian Jixing approached the bed again, looking at her and whispering, “Then why don’t you find out?”

“…Find out what?”

Having made up her mind, Jian Jixing took off her own coat and pinned Sheng Ruxi to the bed. She cupped the back of the actress’s neck, leaning her body forward.

Sheng Ruxi had no time to resist—and she couldn’t, because she heard Jian Jixing say:

“Kiss me.” Jian Jixing’s light chuckle brushed against her ear like a spell. “Let’s see if I possess that sliver of sincerity you seek.”