CHAPTER 19

Seeing the dried bloodstains on the gauze in Li Jia's palm, Ye Chengxing became even more confused.

The medicine had indeed been changed yesterday, but why wasn't the wound showing signs of improvement? Instead, it appeared to be more severe.

Her pensive gaze shifted from the wound in Li Jia's palm to her face.

Li Jia, the Omega, quietly lowered her gaze and only raised her eyes when Ye Chengxing looked over.

Her amber-colored pupils were as clear and translucent as water.

So Ye Chengxing tried to suppress the thought in her mind that "Li Jia intentionally worsened the wound."

She thought that even though the person in front of her was the later-stage villainess in the original text, they were still in the early stages of the plot. Li Jia shouldn't have gone crazy to that extent yet. Moreover, even if it were the later-stage Li Jia, she shouldn't deliberately make her wound so severe. After all, apart from pain, there wouldn't be any other benefits to doing so.

Most importantly... the gaze that Omega directed at her was too obedient and harmless. Ye Chengxing couldn't help but exonerate Li Jia in her heart. How could Li Jia do it intentionally?

However, no matter how much she tried to convince herself, the degree of deterioration of the wound clearly proved to her that it wasn't accidental.

If it was accidental and caused the worsening, Li Jia should have stopped immediately at the first second of pain and quickly put an end to whatever was causing the pain. By this point, it seemed more like she had already felt the pain but was still continuing, as if she were deliberately tearing open the wound, making it more severe.

Ye Chengxing held Li Jia's wrist, and various words kept turning in her mind. However, deep down, she was already vaguely certain that Li Jia did it intentionally. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to say those words and ask those questions. Layer upon layer, the words piled up on her tongue, only to be filtered out in the end, leaving behind only one sentence: "Li Jia, does it hurt?"

After saying this, Ye Chengxing deeply felt that she had asked a pointless question and couldn't help but sigh lightly. "It must be very painful."

She didn't know why Li Jia would do this, but she knew that Li Jia was a person, a person who could feel pain and discomfort, just like anyone else.

That question of whether it hurt was more of an expression of concern—whether it was the emotions entwined in her words or the fingertip that gently touched Li Jia's cold white wrist.

Hearing Ye Chengxing's words, Li Jia's gaze paused.

She blinked very slowly.

It seemed like... this was the second time Ye Chengxing had asked her if it hurt.

Li Jia didn't think that Ye Chengxing wouldn't see that she deliberately made the wound worse. She had even prepared lies and excuses. If Ye Chengxing asked, she would explain it that way, and Ye Chengxing would believe it.

She had also considered the possibility that once Ye Chengxing figured it out, she would scold her or even couldn't bear to refrain from hitting her a few times. After all, it was carefully applied medicine, and Ye Chengxing genuinely wanted her to recover quickly. So her actions were obviously not easily understandable. But whether she was scolded or hit, in the end, it was what she wanted.

It felt like the kind of admonishment one would receive from someone they were close to, due to their mischievousness—a feeling she had never experienced before.

But after thinking about it so much, she never expected that Ye Chengxing would react this way once she figured it out. It was a reaction that was the most difficult for her to defend against or, one could say, impossible to defend against.

Li Jia pursed her lips, and at this moment, all the prepared lies seemed to be abandoned, and it became difficult to say them.

Especially after seeing Ye Chengxing's obvious look of concern and self-blame.

So Li Jia briefly raised her eyes and then lowered them again, finally saying, "I did it myself, but it doesn't hurt."

"It doesn't hurt?" Ye Chengxing, who had already calmed down, couldn't help but feel her emotions rise again after hearing Li Jia's response.

She had Xiaobai bring the medical kit over, and apart from that one question that slipped out in a fluctuation of emotions, she didn't say anything else. Only when she was redressing Li Jia's wound with a cotton swab deliberately exerted a bit more force.

However, it wasn't too much extra force, but given the severity of Li Jia's wound at this point, even that slight increase was very noticeable.

The Omega let out a low, stifled groan.

" And you call this not hurting?" Ye Chengxing spoke again, applying a bit more force.

Perhaps because she was holding onto her anger, Ye Chengxing wasn't as gentle as usual when applying the medicine this time. She pressed down harder, and Li Jia's trembling hand began to shake.

Ye Chengxing noticed it, and as she looked at Li Jia, who bit her lip without making a sound, most of that anger dissipated in her heart. The emotion of concern ultimately prevailed, but this self-harming behavior was unacceptable, and she hoped to make Li Jia realize that.

Ye Chengxing deliberately maintained a calm expression, appearing somewhat cold, but the strength in her hand while applying the medicine had become much gentler. She paused for a moment before speaking, "Li Jia, I don't want to see this kind of situation happen again. If you really want to feel pain, then come to me, and I will personally teach you a lesson."

In order to make this statement sound somewhat intimidating, Ye Chengxing's tone became serious. She thought that after saying something so stern, Li Jia would learn from her mistake. However, she didn't expect the other person to raise her eyes again, just now showing signs of pain, and her Omega voice trembling slightly. Unfortunately, the words she spoke were completely contrary to what Ye Chengxing had imagined: "Then please hit me now, Sister."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chengxing's initial reaction was that she must have misheard. However, when she met Li Jia's gaze, she realized that she was completely serious.

Serious, in wanting her to hit her.

She felt that Li Jia was challenging her, and couldn't help but feel both angry and distressed. With a determined expression, she said, "Alright, as you wish."

However, after responding with a deliberately cold tone, Ye Chengxing couldn't bring herself to actually do it. She would feel heartbroken if she really hit herself.

But since she had said it, Ye Chengxing reluctantly spoke up, "Then come here and bend over."

Upon hearing her words, Li Jia leaned forward.

Then, a not-too-light, not-too-heavy slap landed on the Omega's buttocks, producing a faint, crisp sound.

Perhaps she had hit a bit harder this, as Ye Chengxing heard Li Jia make a sound again, although compared to last time, it was much lighter, with a slightly anxious tone and a hint of elongation.

After the slap, Ye Chengxing felt a bit flushed. After all, Li Jia wasn't a child anymore, and spanking her felt inappropriate. Although she thought this way in her mind, she still said in a calm tone, "Do you understand now?"

Li Jia was still leaning on Ye Chengxing's leg, and Ye Chengxing didn't see the expression on the Omega's face at this moment. She only heard her faint panting and said, "I understand... Thank you for the punishment, Sister."

Why was she gasping like that? Did it hurt a lot?

Noticing Li Jia's reaction, Ye Chengxing hesitated for a moment, but ultimately stopped her actions. She gently rubbed the area a few times, trying to alleviate the pain for her.

While gently rubbing her, Ye Chengxing spoke, "Li Jia, please don't hurt yourself, okay?"

She couldn't quite explain her emotions after hearing that Li Jia had intensified the wound herself. Was it distress, frustration, guilt, or a combination of all?

Her voice was low.

However, as Ye Chengxing soothingly comforted her with gentle actions, Li Jia began to tremble even more.

Before Ye Chengxing could react, she saw Li Jia suddenly sit up, as if she couldn't bear it anymore.

The space in Ye Chengxing's embrace suddenly emptied, and she stared blankly at Li Jia's figure. It was only then that she realized there was a small wet mark on her clothes, appearing at some point.

...Indeed, she had used too much force and made the person cry.

Li Jia must have felt embarrassed as well. After all, she wasn't a child anymore, yet she was scolded like this.

When she looked up again, the Omega had already disappeared, obviously going upstairs.

Ye Chengxing couldn't help but feel even more self-blame.

Checking the time, she realized it was still early, so she decided to go upstairs and apologize to Li Jia. She had acted hastily earlier and hadn't considered Li Jia's feelings carefully enough.

Ye Chengxing was not someone who liked to procrastinate. Moreover, she had to go out and try to sell the food later, so she went upstairs after organizing her thoughts.

She walked all the way to Li Jia's door and gently knocked on it twice, her tone filled with apologies.

However, after saying everything she wanted to say, there was no sound coming from inside the room.

As she contemplated what else to say, the door was slightly pushed open, revealing a crack, and Li Jia's voice came from behind the door, "I'm fine, Sister. You don't need to apologize to me. It's actually me who made a mess of your clothes..."

Upon hearing Li Jia's words, Ye Chengxing quickly shook her head. But thinking that Li Jia couldn't see her through the door, she spoke again, "It's alright. I just touched it briefly, and it's almost dry."

Perhaps it was her imagination, but Ye Chengxing heard a slight sob in Li Jia's voice when she said a certain word, "Don't touch it, I'm really sorry, but please don't touch it. It's dirty..."

Ye Chengxing thought it was just tears that fell on her clothes, so there really was no problem. Her comforting tone became even gentler.

Li Jia didn't fully open the door, and Ye Chengxing didn't insist on going in. She stayed outside the door, separated by a single door panel, calling Li Jia's name and comforting her with words while expressing her own apologies.

"It was my fault this time too, but I still hope that if there's anything bothering you, you can tell me directly. We can find a solution together instead of hurting your own body..."

She stood outside the door, her expression gentle and sincere as she spoke.

Inside the room, Li Jia leaned against the door panel, listening to Ye Chengxing's voice with a distracted and absent-minded gaze.

Tell her everything?

At this moment, she really wanted to open the door and let her in, to let her see her current state and her reddened eyes.

She forgot that this wasn't her past life, where she had already removed her glands, but rather the body that had become incredibly sensitive due to the drugs.

So much so that it became even more difficult for her to accept when there was a reaction under Ye Chengxing's touch.

The most difficult thing for her to accept was herself... actually wetting Ye Chengxing's clothes.

This Ye Chengxing in this life was different from the people in the past. For this person, desire seemed like a stain, especially after her recent actions.

But when she thought about how Ye Chengxing had already touched it, she couldn't help but feel a bit uncontrollable excitement, which was directly reflected in her body's response.

Leaning against the door panel, Li Jia couldn't help but think, does Ye Chengxing know what she looks like in the room? If she saw her, would she be shocked and sternly ask how she could still think about such things at a time like this, and then scold her like she did downstairs before?

If she were to reprimand her, she would realize that with each slap, it not only didn't hurt, but instead elicited a difficult-to-restrain response from her. In that case, she would definitely scold her.

Li Jia pressed one hand against the door, the other hand covering her lips, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

The reason she forcibly removed her glands in her past life was because the feeling during the drug's effect was too unbearable. But she didn't expect that facing Ye Chengxing, the level of unbearable sensation would double.

Outside the door, Ye Chengxing called her name again with a gentle tone. Inside the room, the Omega's pain and pleasure intertwined as her neck arched, and tears streamed down her face at the peak of the moment.

Intense self-disgust overwhelmed her, and Li Jia's fingertips against the door turned white. She thought, she must not let Ye Chengxing see her in this state.

......

Separated by a door, Li Jia completed the communication with Ye Chengxing. Her Omega voice sounded calm again, and she apologized for crying too embarrassingly, so she didn't let her in.

Upon hearing Li Jia's words, Ye Chengxing empathetically understood and mentioned that she had to go out for a while, so she wouldn't come in.

"Remember to have breakfast later. The tutor will be here soon. If you need anything, just message me."

After bidding farewell to Li Jia like this, Ye Chengxing went downstairs, with a faint smile in her eyes.

Indeed, there's no problem that cannot be solved through communication.

This time, she also learned a lesson and realized the importance of better communication next time.

As she thought about it, Ye Chengxing walked to the kitchen. She transferred the food stored in the kitchen's smart storage room to a portable storage compartment, allowing Xiao Bai to contact the driver.

The food she made this morning mainly consisted of tea eggs and braised chicken with rice. There were plenty of tea eggs, and they were relatively easy to make compared to other dishes. With the accelerated design of the kitchen utensils, she could easily make many delicious tea eggs. As for the braised chicken with rice, it had both vegetables and rice, making it a complete meal. Ye Chengxing decided to test the water first, observe the process and environment, and then make some other dishes.

With the help of Xiaobai, all the cooked meals were quickly organized and placed in the portable storage compartment.

The original body had the management rights to several vacant shops, but they were just management rights. The ultimate ownership and decision-making power were not in the original body's hands but in the Ye family's hands.

Although she hadn't met those family members yet, Ye Chengxing had an intuition that the Ye family couldn't be trusted. So, she used her own money to buy another shop, and when she needed to withdraw money to purchase the shop, she specifically had someone make the transaction.

Perhaps she was being overly suspicious, but she still had to be cautious. If the Ye family had no issues, that would be great. But if they did, she was taking precautions in advance.

Before finalizing the purchase of the shop, Ye Chengxing carefully observed these shops and their locations.

The location is excellent, and the shops mainly sell nutritional fluids, clothes, and other items. Their online sales on the StarNet platform are high.

The AI has already renovated the shops, and Ye Chengxing bought a spray that could hide her face. She disguised herself as an ordinary Beta, someone who would easily blend into the crowd without attracting attention.

The original body can be considered a kind of "celebrity" in a sense, although with a notorious reputation. In any case, she started selling food in the shop, and it's inevitable that someone might recognize her.

The culinary industry in this world is scarce, and the original body really couldn't cook before. She has undergone too many changes all at once. Not only might she be recognized, but people might also become suspicious, especially those who were familiar with the original body. In front of Li Jia, she felt more at ease since Li Jia had never seen the original body. Even if she felt that she and the original body were different, she could find an excuse to explain it. But it was different for those people.

Ye Chengxing used the disguise spray and took pictures of the tea eggs and meal sets. She uploaded them to the newly registered shop account on StarNet. At the same time, she had the AI adjust the status of the food shop to "open for business."

She didn't set the prices too high, just added a little extra for the ingredients and seasonings. Nevertheless, Ye Chengxing thought the prices were quite high. Before entering this book, she couldn't have imagined that a serving of tea eggs and braised chicken with rice could be sold at such a high price.

She wondered if anyone would buy them.

The people on the Star Network were very active, and as soon as Ye Chengxing uploaded the photos and videos, many people took notice.

[Oh, a new food shop?]

[But it's not affiliated with any renowned chef. Is it reliable?]

[What is this? I've never seen it before. The rice looks so delicious.]

[If it's all made by the same person, the difference is too big. That egg doesn't look tasty at all, and the broth is too thick and dark. There's another picture, could it be stolen... Can anyone become a culinary specialist now? I'll die of laughter. They should give up already.]

[But the prices are really cheap. I want to try it, it's not expensive anyway.]

[Then go ahead and try it. We're not responsible if you get food poisoning.]

BACK | TABLE OF CONTENTS | NEXT