The Scumbag Who Bowed for Money - Chapter 18

Xie Yuanwei woke up just as the sky was beginning to lighten. She reached out instinctively to check Le Shi’s forehead, but before her hand could touch her, the Omega turned her head slightly, avoiding the gesture.

“You’re awake?” Xie Yuanwei asked.

She quickly pulled her hand back and got out of bed. Her tone was a bit rushed. “I’m going to wash up.”

Le Shi remained seated on the bed. She looked down and quietly responded with a soft “okay.”

Neither of them brought up what had happened during the night. Just hearing Xie Yuanwei’s voice made Le Shi’s face feel hot. She tugged the blanket down slightly, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “How did it feel?”

Xie Yuanwei didn’t catch her meaning right away. “What do you mean?”

Le Shi kept her back to her and spoke in a quieter voice. “Your pheromones were really strong. Since our compatibility is high, it makes sense that something like that happened.”

She had made her meaning clear. Xie Yuanwei realized what she was referring to. She coughed lightly, took a moment to compose herself, then leaned a bit closer and said quietly, “Honestly, it just made me feel really emotional.”

Le Shi immediately responded, “I’m going back to sleep.”

“Good night,” Xie Yuanwei said softly.

Neither of them said more, and they ended up falling asleep in the same bed again.

After waking up fully, Le Shi rubbed her face and got out of bed too. Xie Yuanwei had already finished washing up. As she tidied her clothes and looked for something, she said, “Let’s check your temperature.”

Le Shi glanced at her and replied, “I’ll wash up first. Then I’ll check.”

Xie Yuanwei gave her a quick “OK” gesture with her hand.

Even with both of them in the room, it didn’t feel crowded. Everything between them seemed surprisingly natural. Le Shi accepted the thermometer and sat down on the sofa, quietly waiting for the reading.

Xie Yuanwei got dressed. Still feeling a bit uneasy, she gave a few reminders before leaving. “I’m going downstairs to get breakfast. Just leave the thermometer aside when you’re done.”

Le Shi raised an eyebrow. “Afraid I’ll fake the result?”

Xie Yuanwei gave a light snort, clearly not trying to sound too assertive. She smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

“Go ahead,” Le Shi said.

Once she heard the door close, Le Shi finally relaxed. She pressed the back of her hand to her cheek and whispered to herself, “Why do I feel nervous?”

She didn’t spend much time thinking about it. While she waited, she also took a phone call. By the time Xie Yuanwei came back, Le Shi was still talking. Without speaking, she handed the thermometer over.

Xie Yuanwei set the breakfast down and took the thermometer. Her expression changed immediately as she saw the result. She let out a quiet gasp and stood frozen, staring at Le Shi without speaking.

Her gaze was intense and direct. Le Shi couldn’t ignore it even if she wanted to.

She ended the call and turned to meet Xie Yuanwei’s eyes. Tilting her head slightly, she asked, “What is it? Do I still have a fever?”

“Thirty-eight point seven,” Xie Yuanwei answered, lowering her gaze. She placed the thermometer back on the table and began to arrange the breakfast. Her voice was calm but serious. “When do you plan to return? If you’ll be here for a few more days, I’ll contact your primary doctor and ask if he can visit.”

Le Shi was taken aback by her tone. She froze for a few seconds, then lowered her hands to her sides and gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

“I can’t afford to make Bai Tu uncomfortable. This project is really important.”

Her breathing became heavier, and only then did she start to feel the discomfort in her body. Her lips moved slightly before she finally said, “You should go back. I’ll ask someone else to come instead.”

The clinking of ceramic dishes echoed in the room. Le Shi’s body trembled slightly. When she looked up, she saw that Xie Yuanwei had set down her spoon and was standing silently at the table.

The atmosphere grew tense, even though the weather outside was beautiful.

Le Shi’s eyes flickered with hesitation. She tried to explain. “I just meant, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, then—”

“Le Shi.”

It was the first time Xie Yuanwei called her by name.

Le Shi turned toward her and saw that she had taken a deep breath. “Come here and eat.”

For reasons she didn’t understand, Le Shi didn’t resist. She slowly walked over. The porridge in front of her had already cooled. Xie Yuanwei must have been stirring it for a while. The food she prepared was all suitable for Le Shi.

Xie Yuanwei stood beside her for a moment, then walked out of the room without looking back.

Le Shi moved more slowly. A delayed sense of helplessness crept in. Her nose began to sting, and her eyes felt warm. There was a faint ache in her lower abdomen. She bit her lip and said nothing, forcing herself to finish the porridge.

Meanwhile, Xie Yuanwei made her way directly to the breakfast area and found Bai Zhiqu eating alone.

“Miss Bai,” Xie Yuanwei said gently, “Can I ask you for a favor?”

Bai Zhiqu swallowed a bite of her egg and looked at her with confusion. “What is it?”

Xie Yuanwei sat across from her and lowered her voice. “I need to go out for a while. I may be gone the entire morning. Can you help take care of Le Shi?”

“What?”

Seeing her confused expression, Xie Yuanwei continued, “She’s sick. She has a high fever right now. I’ve already contacted her doctor and am going to get her medication.”

Bai Zhiqu looked suspicious. “What kind of medicine takes all morning? Are you planning something again?”

“Because…” Xie Yuanwei paused and looked slightly embarrassed. “She’s in a sensitive phase.”

As an Omega herself, Bai Zhiqu immediately understood. Though she still looked doubtful, she eventually waved her hand and agreed to help. After Xie Yuanwei thanked her multiple times, she became annoyed and told her to leave already.

Watching Xie Yuanwei rush away, Bai Zhiqu muttered, “So annoying. Always talking.”

The mountain fog had not yet cleared, and Xie Yuanwei’s figure had already disappeared. She moved quickly down the path and nearly lost her footing, but managed to stay upright and didn’t delay.

She had scheduled a car in advance. After getting in, she gave the driver the address and immediately opened her phone to message Le Shi’s primary doctor.

Xie Yuanwei: I’m on my way. Have you contacted your friend?

Dr. Li: Don’t worry. My friend has been making medication for years. I would never risk Le Shi’s safety.

Still slightly out of breath, Xie Yuanwei replied.

Xie Yuanwei: Good. It needs to look completely unnoticeable.

Dr. Li: You can rest assured.

That final message made Xie Yuanwei feel truly at ease for the first time. The place she needed to reach was quite far, and it took nearly an hour by car.

As soon as she stepped out of the car, someone came to greet her. She looked up at the research institute’s standard-looking building and felt a wave of uncertainty in her chest.

“Are you Miss Xie?”

Xie Yuanwei came back to her senses and nodded. “Yes, that’s me. Can we start now?”

The receptionist at the institute smiled politely and shook her head. “You need to go through a physical examination first. Only after passing that can we proceed with the pheromone extraction.”

“Alright, let’s get started quickly. Someone’s waiting for me.”

Xie Yuanwei followed the staff member through a full physical exam. She was even warned to stop drinking alcohol. She obediently agreed to everything. It wasn’t until around eleven in the morning that she was told she could proceed with the extraction.

Right before entering, Xie Yuanwei kept checking her phone. Not a single message from Le Shi had come through. She sighed with frustration and muttered to herself, “She’s definitely upset.”

There wasn’t time to think too much. A staff member called her inside, and Xie Yuanwei had to put down her phone in a hurry, change into a sterile gown, and walk through the disinfection tunnel into the lab.

The technician assigned to her was a male Beta. He smiled slightly when she walked in. “Lie down here and rest your head through the opening.”

Xie Yuanwei did as instructed, lying down on the operating table surrounded by complex machines she couldn’t understand. She felt something cold on the back of her neck and shivered.

She winced and asked, “Doctor, when will the medication be ready?”

The Beta glanced at her. “About an hour. I thought you’d be more worried about the gland procedure. Aren’t you afraid?”

Xie Yuanwei replied calmly, “Not really. I’m more afraid of being late. Just make sure the medicine doesn’t look like anything special.”

The Beta rolled over a cart of equipment and gave a reassuring answer. “Relax. You’re the one thousand one hundred and fifty-second person we’ve helped with pheromone extraction. I’m starting now.”

Xie Yuanwei had just managed a quiet “okay” when she felt the sharp sting of the needle piercing her gland. The pain spread slowly and densely across her neck. It was worse than she imagined. She couldn’t even speak. Her fingers gripped the edge of the table tightly, and she blinked rapidly to fight back the tears.

She had expected it to hurt, but not like this.

Her neck started to go numb. Her body twitched from the pain in her gland. She had to control her breathing carefully, as even the smallest movement caused a sharp, searing pain. Sweat poured down her face, and by the time it was over, she was drenched. There were even droplets on the floor.

Lying flat on the table, Xie Yuanwei gasped for air. After a few moments, she slowly sat up, trembling. She inhaled sharply and swallowed before asking, “Is it done?”

Her face was pale, and she looked noticeably weaker.

The Beta told her to wait outside while the medication was being prepared.

She didn’t argue and walked out to sit on a bench in the hallway. She was still trying to recover, her head down, avoiding touching the back of her neck.

Just as promised, an hour later, someone brought her the medicine. It looked like ordinary cold tablets. Holding the bottle, Xie Yuanwei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She confirmed again that it was safe to take and expressed her thanks before hurrying to catch a ride back to the mountain villa.

She hoped Le Shi was feeling better by now.

Back at the villa, Le Shi hadn’t smiled once all morning. Bai Zhiqu sat with her in a small pavilion, cracking sunflower seeds with no particular rhythm.

“If you’re thinking about her that much, why not just send a message or make a call?” Bai Zhiqu asked, puzzled.

Le Shi shook her head lightly. “No need. If she went out, she must have her own reasons.”

“Oh, come on.” Bai Zhiqu rolled her eyes. “You’ve looked gloomy all morning. I even helped you avoid my dad by saying you weren’t feeling well. But do you really have to wear Xie Yuanwei’s name on your face like that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

Bai Zhiqu gave her a disbelieving look. “You’re so stubborn. I honestly don’t understand how Xie Yuanwei manages to charm all of you like this.”

“Whatever. If you want to go find her, just go.”

Bai Zhiqu didn’t say anything more. She stayed by Le Shi’s side, lazily cracking seeds.

By two in the afternoon, the two of them had grown tired of sitting around and wandering the villa. They were just about to head back when they bumped into Xie Yuanwei, who was jogging over from the other direction.

She was wearing a mask, and her forehead was covered in sweat. But the moment she saw Le Shi, she smiled brightly.

“Are you feeling any better?”

Xie Yuanwei’s eyes were full of hope. “I brought you some medicine. The doctor said this should help.”

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