The Eldest Lady always wants to have a double O Relationship with her old enemy - Chapter 36

Princess-carrying Shen Jianxi upstairs, Tang Yanzhao only had slightly quickened breaths by the time she stood at the door waiting for her to unlock it. Outwardly, she showed no other signs of strain.

As soon as they entered the room, Tang Yanzhao closed the door behind them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fang Xing helping Jiang Lan into the guest room opposite.

But other people’s business was never her concern; if she happened to see it, that was all. Right now, the only thing that mattered was Shen Jianxi.

This time the bath took less than ten minutes. The main reason was that when Tang Yanzhao saw Shen Jianxi soaking completely unclothed in the tub—even if foam and flower petals floated on the surface—her fair, delicate collarbones, the elegant line of her neck and shoulders, and those pale arms flicking water teasingly were enough to send Tang Yanzhao’s heart spinning out of control. But right after came Jianxi’s paling face and painful, stifled groans.

Tang Yanzhao immediately pulled her out of the water, forced herself to suppress her restless blood flow, and swiftly dried her, dressed her, and guided her to sit on the edge of the bed.

Every movement was clean and precise. Just as Tang Yanzhao was turning to leave, Shen Jianxi instinctively caught her fingers. “You said you’d sleep with me.”

Tang Yanzhao swallowed and replied, “I’ll take a shower and come right back.”

Shen Jianxi’s lashes trembled. Clearly exhausted, she still fought to stay awake, insisting on her promise. “Alright, I’ll wait for you.”

Leaning against the bathroom door, Tang Yanzhao pressed a hand to her chest, breathing deeply several times until her emotions steadied, only then stepping under the shower.

When she came out, Shen Jianxi had turned toward her direction. Half awake, she opened her eyes and murmured, “You’re done.”

Tang Yanzhao switched off the overhead light, sat half-upright on the bed. Shen Jianxi instinctively rolled into her side, one arm draped over her waist, the other hand slipping around her back to clasp her fingers.

Even sitting, Shen Jianxi seemed determined to embrace her. In the room, only a small warm bedside lamp glowed. Tang Yanzhao tilted her head, looking down at Shen Jianxi’s increasingly steady breaths. Her thoughts tangled. Her lips pressed into a tight line as the night’s events replayed again and again in her mind.

A single simple kiss on the cheek had been enough to set her heart surging. Thinking back to that rehearsal when their lips accidentally brushed—though that was far more intimate—it was this cheek kiss that made her heart pound harder. Alone in the bathroom, she had flushed hot, ears burning, unable to calm down for a long while.

Even now, just recalling it, her pulse began to race again.

Beside her, even in sleep, Shen Jianxi furrowed her brows and let out a faint whimper as if the pain was returning, though lightly enough not to wake her.

The beat beneath Tang Yanzhao’s palm cooled instantly. That seed of suspicion in her heart seemed to sprout.

Once Shen Jianxi was fully asleep, Tang Yanzhao tucked the little butter-bear plush into her arms, then carefully slipped off the bed. When she stood up, Jianxi only rubbed her cheek against the bear’s face, not waking. Tang Yanzhao’s held breath finally eased.

She went downstairs to the living room, found pen and paper, opened her phone’s notes, and listed every single episode of Jianxi’s strange relapses with precise detail.

Before, it had all been a mess with no thread to pull. But tonight she had grasped a key point.

Cheek kiss → heartbeat racing → relapse.

Bath → heartbeat racing → relapse.

Memory recall → heartbeat racing → relapse.

Once she calmed, the symptoms faded.

The common factor in all of them: “accelerated heartbeat.”

Tang Yanzhao stared at the diagram she had sketched and finally wrote in the corner:
“Accelerated heartbeat” = “relapse” ???

Placing this conclusion against every note in her record, she realized she had always documented the events and outcomes, but never considered the emotional context. Thinking back, the result was obvious—most of the incidents could be explained by this pattern.

But then…what kind of “accelerated heartbeat” caused relapse? After all, physical exercise also quickened the heart, yet Jianxi never fell ill from that.

What was the true link? Shen Jianxi’s medical checkups showed nothing unusual, further proving that this must be caused by something beyond science’s explanation.

The tip of Tang Yanzhao’s pen pressed down, leaving a dark blot on the paper. Half an hour passed without progress.

At last, she sighed, put away the notebook and pen at the bottom of her school bag, and returned upstairs. She stood at the bedside for several minutes, gazing quietly before slipping under the covers. Gently, she pulled the obstructing bear plush from Jianxi’s arms, replacing it with herself.

Within half a minute, Shen Jianxi leaned against her, nestling her head on Tang Yanzhao’s shoulder and rubbing affectionately. Half-asleep, she murmured, soft and sticky, “Zhaozhao~”

Tang Yanzhao’s lips curved faintly. Her voice was tender as water: “I’m here.”

The next morning.

When Shen Jianxi woke, Tang Yanzhao was already neatly dressed, sitting on the sofa reading. Her lowered eyes, her sharp nose bridge, her concentrated expression—early in the morning, they were already a dangerous temptation to someone with weak self-control.

She remembered everything from last night clearly. Luckily, she never blacked out when drunk, otherwise how many wonderful moments of Zhaozhao would she have missed?

Tang Yanzhao happened to lift her head to stretch her stiff neck. At once her eyes met Shen Jianxi’s bright, cat-like gaze brimming with light. Her heart jolted, threatening to race again. She quickly looked away, shut the book, and covertly drew in a breath. “Breakfast is ready. Go wash up.”

Shen Jianxi had slept soundly, but Tang Yanzhao’s eyes carried faint shadows beneath them. This matter truly weighed heavily on her.

If no solution could be found, then she would cut it off at the root. Since Jianxi’s relapse came from her accelerated heartbeat, then she would keep her heart calm. At the first sign of disturbance, she would adjust at once.

Tang Yanzhao believed she could manage it easily. After all, by nature she was cold and restrained; it was only with Shen Jianxi that she had ever come alive with such uncontrollable emotions.

In her black-and-white world, Jianxi was the only splash of color. That she stirred such feelings was only natural. But in the present situation, Tang Yanzhao was confident she could suppress them.

The answer was so close, a thin membrane away—one poke and she’d understand. But her thoughts never wandered in that direction.

First, because she had never imagined anyone aside from her mother could love her, treasure her. Shen Jianxi was the first.

Second, she had no experience in love. Her life had been filled only with Jianxi and her studies, with no chance for self-realization—how could she suddenly recognize that an omega could fall for another omega?

Third, even if Jianxi had lowered her pride to be her friend, the deep class divide still lived in her heart. From her very soul, she could not believe they stood on the same level.

So how could Tang Yanzhao ever dare to dream that Shen Jianxi might like her?

When Tang Yanzhao turned her head away, Shen Jianxi grew displeased. The light in her cat eyes dimmed, her brows furrowed. In a sweet, spoiled tone, she accused: “Am I not good-looking?”

Hearing the hurt in her voice, Tang Yanzhao shook her head hurriedly. “No.”

“Then why do you look away the moment you see me? Do you despise me?”

“I don’t.”

“Then what do you mean by it?”

Tongue-tied as always, Tang Yanzhao had no words.

Shen Jianxi huffed, puffing her cheeks, then got out of bed. Standing over her, she demanded with authority: “Tell me! What’s going on?”

She would never let Tang Yanzhao brush her off with vague excuses. Nor would she sulk alone. After all, Tang Yanzhao was already a closed book—if she herself didn’t push, how would they solve anything?

Tang Yanzhao pressed her lips tightly together. Shen Jianxi, unusually patient this time, simply stood and waited in silence.

“I’m… shy.” After wracking her brain, Tang Yanzhao finally squeezed out these words.

The black lines on Jianxi’s forehead instantly melted. She even raised her brows, a teasing “oh?” slipping from her lips. “How so?”

“Because of last night.” Tang Yanzhao clenched the book in her hands until the pain grounded her mind, helping her resist the reactive spike in her pulse. At most, it was just nervousness. Judging by Jianxi’s expression, she wasn’t relapsing.

Shen Jianxi broke into a radiant smile. Stepping forward, she cupped Tang Yanzhao’s face and rubbed it roughly. “Zhaozhao, I really, really like you. You’re too adorable.”

Though it wasn’t the real reason, the mistaken explanation had nonetheless given Jianxi an answer that made her heart melt.

Grinding her back teeth, Tang Yanzhao muttered sternly, “Go wash up. Jiang Lan and the others must already be waiting.”

Pinching her apple-like cheek, Shen Jianxi chirped, “Okay, wait for me.”

She skipped away, every step brimming with delight.

Only then did Tang Yanzhao exhale in relief.

So controlling emotions wasn’t so effortless after all.

Once both had washed, they went downstairs to find Jiang Lan and Fang Xing sitting across from each other, eating in silence. The air held some indescribable, unclear tension.

“Good morning.” Fang Xing greeted them cheerfully.

Shen Jianxi nodded back and sat beside Jiang Lan, pulling Tang Yanzhao with her. “Where’s Peach?”

With half a boiled egg still in her mouth, Jiang Lan mumbled, “I saw her message this morning. She had an emergency last night and went home.”

“Hm? Last night? Alone? Did you call her?”

Jiang Lan nodded. “I did. She’s already home. Nothing happened.”

Relieved, Shen Jianxi said, “Oh, that’s good then.”

Tang Yanzhao placed a peeled egg onto Jianxi’s plate. Jianxi squinted, smiling sweetly at her, then ate a bite while glancing at Jiang Lan.

“What’s with you? Why so quiet?”

With her mouth stuffed full, Jiang Lan reached for juice to help swallow, but Fang Xing beat her to it: “She had a piece of candy last night, and she’s still savoring the taste.”

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