After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 42

Auntie wasn’t home, so dinner was personally cooked by Wen Jingzhi.

Over the years, Lin Li’s health had stabilized within a certain range through medication. She no longer had to eat only porridge and could have light home-cooked meals. Coincidentally, Wen Jingzhi was maintaining her figure and rarely ate heavily oily or salty foods. Whenever she had time, she would cook, and the little one could eat with her.

After dinner, Lin Li took Xiao Xi for a couple of walks downstairs. When she returned, she saw Wen Jingzhi sitting on the living room sofa. She unclipped the leash to let Xiao Xi drink some water, then walked over and asked with a smile, “Are you busy, sis?”

Wen Jingzhi pointed to the Bluetooth earpiece in her ear. Lin Li raised an eyebrow, pressed her lips together, and sat down to her right, pulling out her phone. She noticed that an hour earlier, Sun Xiaoxiao had sent several messages in their three-person group chat.

【Sweet A is Still an A: @Sweet O in Training Why won’t you let us come over? Aren’t you bored home alone?】

【Sweet A is Still an A: Ah! Are you going out to play with that Alpha!?】

About ten minutes later.

【Sweet A is Still an A: I asked around for you! That Alpha is named Su Ke, she’s the class monitor of Class 3! She’s pretty nice!】

【Fierce O is Still an O: ? What Alpha? Is Squinty puppy-loving?】

Lin Li chuckled softly at their new IDs, earning a questioning look from her sister. She shook her head gently and typed on her phone.

【Sweet O in Training: Who changed my ID?】

【Sweet O in Training: Not going, sis is back.】

【Sweet O in Training: No puppy love.】

【Sweet A is Still an A: Me! How is it, do you like it?】

【Sweet O in Training: No.】

【Sweet A is Still an A: Objection overruled, I’m the group admin!】

【Fierce O is Still an O: I knew it, there’s no way a sis-con like you would suddenly go out with an Alpha.】

【Fierce O is Still an O: This ID really doesn’t suit Squinty’s image, she’s a scheming, black-hearted Omega.】

【Sweet A is Still an A: ? Lin Li isn’t that bad!】

【Fierce O is Still an O: You’re taking her side again, not mine! Do you know how she found out about us?】

【Sweet A is Still an A: Hold up.jpg What about us? There’s nothing going on between us yet?】

【Fierce O is Still an O: …】

Suddenly, a group video call popped up on her phone. The ringing sound made Wen Jingzhi glance over. Worried about disturbing her, Lin Li was about to decline the call when a slender, fair finger appeared in her line of sight, pressing on the screen and swiping to the green answer icon.

Zhou Cheng’s delicate face appeared on the screen. Lin Li was momentarily stunned and looked at her sister, who responded with a gentle head pat. She chuckled softly and whispered, “Won’t I disturb you?”

Her cool eyes curved with a soft smile. “No.”

“Mm.”

“She’s my sister.”

“It’s good that we can get in touch.”

“Mm, see you tomorrow.”

Wen Jingzhi quickly replied a few times, hung up the call, took off her earpiece, and turned to rub Lin Li’s head again. She picked up the script from the coffee table and flipped to the page with the bookmark.

“What are you doing, Lin Xiao Li?”

Lin Li had only her chin in the frame and didn’t respond for a while. Zhou Cheng urged impatiently, “Hurry up and say something!”

“Why are you being so harsh?” That was Sun Xiaoxiao.

“Wow, this is harsh? I’m not even half as harsh as Squinty.”

“Since when is Lin Li harsh?”

“You’re defending her again!”

“I wasn’t helping anyone. Why do you always target Lin Li? She’s never been harsh with you.”

Wen Jingzhi listened to the two girls bickering, turned a page, and imperceptibly curved the corner of her lips.

Lin Li smiled. “I’m not wearing headphones.”

“If you’re not wearing them, then no way! Is Goddess Zhizhi next to you?”

“Wow, you’re so sneaky, only telling us now!”

“Wow! Sister Zhizhi! Good evening!” Sun Xiaoxiao, the devoted fan, immediately greeted her idol.

“Good evening, Sister Zhizhi.” Zhou Cheng instantly became well-behaved.

Lin Li turned her phone around, and Wen Jingzhi’s fair, delicate profile appeared on the screen. She tilted her head slightly, her cool gaze sweeping over the two girls on the screen, a faint smile gracing her lips as she nodded. “Good evening.”

She lifted her eyes, looking past the phone at the gentle girl behind it. “Don’t mind me.”

“As long as you’re not bothered, Sister.” Lin Li smiled and withdrew her hand, turning her attention back to the screen. “Did you call just to let me listen to you two, hmm?”

The implication behind that “hmm” was too obvious. Sun Xiaoxiao’s face flushed instantly, and Zhou Cheng pouted, feeling a bit warm herself. “Stop talking nonsense,” she muttered under her breath, turning away. “Besides, is this even considered flirting?”

Sun Xiaoxiao coughed. “Don’t be so sneaky, Lin Li.”

Lin Li squinted with a smile. “I’m not being sneaky.”

“Don’t change the subject.” Zhou Cheng remembered the original purpose of her group video call and said sternly, “Tell me yourself, when you found out half a year ago, how did you threaten me?”

“I didn’t threaten you.” Lin Li tilted her head.

I just politely asked for your opinion.

Zhou Cheng stomped her feet. “Wow, Sister Zhizhi, please control her! She’s so mean!”

Xiao Xi crawled over from Wen Jingzhi’s side, plopping its rear on Lin Li’s foot and resting its head on Wen Jingzhi’s lap, wagging its tail coquettishly.

Wen Jingzhi let out an almost inaudible chuckle, switching the script to her left hand while using her right to pat Xiao Xi’s head. Without looking up, she said calmly, “She’s not mean.”

She’s quite adorable.

Zhou Cheng immediately fell silent.

How could she have forgotten? Lin Li was a hopeless sister-con, and this older sister was an equally hopeless younger-sister-con!

Lin Li chuckled triumphantly, leaning against Wen Jingzhi’s shoulder. The latter glanced down at her, expressionless, before shifting her gaze back to the script, subtly leaning back a little.

The cool temperature seeped through the fabric onto her skin, the scent of snow mingled with a faint perfume wafting to her nose. For the umpteenth time, Lin Li felt her heart racing.

She didn’t know when it started, but every time she got a little closer to her sister, her heartbeat would quicken.

How strange.

Maybe it was because her body was reacting to her sister’s pheromones?

Ever since she started using the new medication three years ago, her sense of smell had become more sensitive, especially to her sister’s pheromones. Even when the other wasn’t in heat, she could detect a faint trace of it.

Lin Li chatted with the two for a while longer. Sun Xiaoxiao was the first to hang up, and as soon as she left, Zhou Cheng followed. Before disconnecting, Zhou Cheng suddenly shouted, “Sister Zhizhi! Lin Li’s dating early!”

With those words, her slightly gloating face disappeared from the screen.

Lin Li: How childish!

Wen Jingzhi’s expression remained unchanged as she glanced down at her. “Dating early?”

“Not at all.” Lin Li remained completely unruffled, smiling as she replied. “She’s just making things up.”

“There was just an Alpha who invited me to go shopping together.”

“But I turned them down.”

Wen Jingzhi wasn’t actually opposed to the idea of romance in school. She had noticed the ambiguous relationship between Sun Xiaoxiao and Zhou Cheng when the two girls first visited Lin Li at home, and she hadn’t said anything about it or put on the airs of an elder.

Given her temperament, she should have said something like, “It’s fine to have a crush, as long as you like them.” She trusted that Lin Li’s personality wouldn’t allow her to be taken advantage of. But the words lingered on the tip of her tongue, refusing to come out.

Upon reflection, girls of seventeen or eighteen were at an impulsive age, their actions still unsteady. Lin Li was likely to undergo differentiation within the next two years, and shortly after that, she would come of age and experience her first estrus cycle. If, during that time, she were surrounded by immature and reckless young Alphas her carefully raised little one.

“Wait until university to think about romance,” Wen Jingzhi suddenly said with a stern expression, furrowing her brows and repeating the line most commonly used by parents opposed to early relationships. “Focus on your studies for now.”

Lin Li was taken aback for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and laughed. “I know, sis. I’m really not interested in dating right now.”

It was true that those Alphas weren’t bad-looking and had been polite to her, but she just didn’t feel any attraction.

In fact, she had no idea what it even felt like to have a crush.

Wen Jingzhi’s cool gaze fell on the girl’s face, tracing the lines of her delicate brows as she studied her carefully.

The once frail and skinny child had blossomed into a young woman. When her earnest, downturned eyes curved into a smile, she could instantly win anyone over.

Her bone structure was exquisite, her eye sockets slightly deep-set. Even though her right eye was a prosthetic and appeared somewhat stiff, the depth of her left eye alone was enough to captivate.

She had grown into a strikingly beautiful young woman, captivating in her own right.

At seventeen or eighteen, teenagers were at an age of budding emotions. It was only natural, in Wen Jingzhi’s eyes, that those Alphas would develop feelings for Lin Li.

The girl she had raised with such care was, without a doubt, the best.

“If you ever go out with an Alpha, make sure to bring Sun Xiaoxiao along,” she said. She trusted Lin Li, but she didn’t trust the young Alphas at school.

“Got it,” Lin Li replied with a smile, giving her sister a quick hug and patting Xiao Xi’s head before standing up. “I’m going to take a shower now.”

“Mm.”

Watching the girl disappear into her bedroom and close the door, Wen Jingzhi leaned back against the sofa, her mood still unsettled. With a flick of her left hand, she tossed the script onto the coffee table. The loud smack made Xiao Xi lift her head, ears perked up, as she glanced around in confusion. Finding no sign of anything unusual, she gave her owner a puzzled look before quietly retreating to her bed.

After a while, Wen Jingzhi picked up her phone from the coffee table and sent a message to Wen Xihe.

[Lin Li has a crush.]

[Wen Xihe: What?! What wild boar dares to set its sights on our tender little cabbage?! Who’s the reckless, brash Alpha? Who are their parents?!]

The inexplicable tightness in Wen Jingzhi’s chest eased slightly.

[What do you think?]

Put together with the previous message. What do you think about Lin Li having a crush?

[Wen Xihe: Are you going through your special period?]

Who says something like that and leaves it hanging? Was she just teasing her?!

[?]

[Wen Xihe: I don’t think anything of it!!!!]

Stupid ice block! Black-hearted ice block!

Feeling somewhat better, Wen Jingzhi ignored Wen Xihe’s outburst, set down her phone, and picked up the script again.

A little after 10 p.m., Wen Jingzhi knocked on Lin Li’s bedroom door, holding a cup of warm milk. From behind the door, she could hear a few soft coughs.

She pushed the door open and walked straight in. The frail young girl leaned against the headboard, covering her mouth as she coughed a few more times. Looking up at the tall woman approaching, she lowered her hand and smiled brightly. “Sister.”

“Did you catch a chill without your coat?” Wen Jingzhi handed her the milk and pressed her left palm against the girl’s forehead. It wasn’t feverish. “Don’t forget next time.”

“I’ll remember, Sister.” Lin Li finished the milk in one go and handed the cup back to Wen Jingzhi. “Thank you, Sister~”

Drinking milk was Lin Li’s own request she still held onto a sliver of hope for her height.

As an Omega, she wasn’t particularly short, but compared to Wen Jingzhi, she still fell short, only reaching her sister’s ear level.

She didn’t aspire to be as tall as her sister; just getting a little closer to her height would be enough.

Carrying the empty cup, Wen Jingzhi left the room, closing the door behind her. She returned to the kitchen to wash the cup and then headed to the study.

At midnight, Wen Jingzhi closed the study door, washed her hands with hot water in the bathroom, and quietly entered Lin Li’s room. She pressed her palm against the girl’s forehead.

No fever.

She gazed deeply at the sleeping girl, a slight smile curling her lips, before leaving the room and returning to her own bedroom.

The next day, Saturday.

Lin Li lazed in bed for a while and didn’t get up until nearly ten in the morning. As soon as she opened the door, Xiao Xi pounced into her arms. Hugging the little dog, she rubbed its fur and called out to the person on the sofa, “Good morning, Sister~”

“Morning.” Wen Jingzhi set aside the script, went to the kitchen to warm up breakfast, and brought it out, watching over Lin Li until she finished eating. Then, she brought over a bowl of medicine.

Lin Li gulped it down in one go and stretched out her hand to her sister with a grin. Wen Jingzhi raised an eyebrow, her eyes smiling, and placed a fruit candy into the pale palm.

They had a simple lunch, and by two in the afternoon, Old Master Wen and the others arrived at the house. They played games with Lin Li for a while and chatted about school matters.

Wen Xihe even secretly took Lin Li to the study to ask about early romance, sharply criticizing the young Alphas at school as worthless. She concluded with, “If you’re going to date, wait until university there are more high-quality Alphas then.” Lin Li found it both amusing and exasperating, repeatedly assuring her that she wouldn’t engage in early romance, finally calming Xihe down.

A little after five, the family got ready and went out to attend a banquet.

An hour later, they arrived at the entrance of “Spring Colors.”

As soon as the car stopped, a waiter approached, opened the door, and led them to the private room, gently knocking.

The door opened from the inside.

“Jingzhi.”

An intimate call reached her ears first.

The door swung fully open.

A woman with shoulder-length hair and a sharp, spirited demeanor stood at the doorway, smiling as she spread her arms. “Long time no see.”

Lin Li stood to Wen Jingzhi’s right, watching as her sister curved her lips into a faint smile, stepped forward, and embraced the woman.

“Long time no see.”

Her downturned eyes narrowed slowly.

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