CHAPTER 53

"These few days have been a bit tiring, I guess." Li Jia withdrew her gaze and spoke.

As she spoke, she looked at Ye Chengxing and lightly hooked her fingertip against the palm of Ye Chengxing's hand.

The Omega, wearing a mask, lifted the corners of her beautiful eyes slightly and smiled, "But it's alright. When I think about how my sister cares for me, I don't feel so tired anymore."

Upon hearing Li Jia's words, Ye Chengxing suddenly coughed and a hint of surprise appeared on her face. "Why all of a sudden...?"

She hadn't figured out why Li Jia seemed distant from her during the day, creating an inexplicable distance between them. But now, Li Jia had returned to her usual self.

Li Jia softly said, "Hmm?"

"What do you mean, 'all of a sudden'?"

Ye Chengxing's right hand was still holding Li Jia's hand. After hearing Li Jia's question, she raised her left hand and pressed her lips with the back of her hand, holding back her unfinished words. "It's nothing. It was just a slip of the tongue."

...It seems like her emotions have been fluctuating all day long.

But when she thinks about it, there's really nothing that could cause Li Jia's change in mood. Ultimately, those things are just her own speculations.

She used to be someone who didn't overthink things and whose emotions were rarely influenced by others, but now...

Ye Chengxing took a deep breath and sighed silently.

Being with the production crew was indeed tiring, especially since Li Jia had come out and accompanied her in the villa until late.

She should be considerate and let Li Jia rest well.

Li Jia gazed at Ye Chengxing and noticed that the Alpha was daydreaming again. Even though she was holding her hand, there was a complex expression in her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Jia asked.

Her thoughts were interrupted, and Ye Chengxing snapped back to reality. She looked at Li Jia, hesitated, and bit her lower lip. But after organizing her thoughts, she realized that she couldn't say any of them to Li Jia. She shook her head and said, "Nothing, just trying to remember where I parked the car."

After saying this, Ye Chengxing herself felt that it was highly unconvincing. However, generally speaking, it would imply a reluctance to discuss something.

Li Jia didn't ask any further after hearing Ye Chengxing's words. Ye Chengxing felt relieved but also apologetic. She put on a pensive expression and added as a patch, "I think I remembered where I parked... Xiaoli, you must be tired too. Rest well when you get home."

Upon hearing Ye Chengxing's words, Li Jia's gaze slightly intensified, but on the surface, the Omega only smiled and agreed in a low and gentle voice, "So is sister."

.......

In the end, Ye Chengxing's mind was preoccupied, and what made her even more restless was that the person causing her unease was sitting right next to her.

After arriving home, everything was the same as usual. Ye Chengxing and Li Jia's rooms were on the second floor, but unless they specifically knocked on each other's doors, they wouldn't say much.

After taking a shower, Ye Chengxing still felt emotionally unsettled. She logged onto StarNet with her personal account and, as usual, did some promotional activities for the daily specials at Risheng food shop. After finishing her post, the system automatically returned her to the homepage. Ye Chengxing was about to log out of StarNet when her attention was caught by a particular post on the homepage.

It wasn't anything particularly special, just a recommendation for some romantic movies.

Ye Chengxing wasn't really into romantic movies, but as she looked at the recommended content, she hesitated for a moment, then took a screenshot and saved it before opening the media player, preparing to choose a movie to watch.

The recommended romantic movies had quite a variety, with both happy endings (HE) and sad endings (BE).

Normally, considering her current mood, she should choose a sweet HE movie to relax...

In theory, that's how it should be.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Chengxing selected a movie with a BE ending to watch.

Instead of watching a movie with a happy ending, she inexplicably felt that she needed to prepare herself for the feeling of a sad ending.

Just as Ye Chengxing started playing the movie without putting on her headphones, she heard two knocks on her door.

In this villa, only she and Li Jia lived, so besides Li Jia, there wouldn't be anyone else knocking on her door.

As Ye Chengxing stood up and pressed the pause button on the screen, she went to open the door for Li Jia.

"What's wrong, Xiaoli?" Although she hadn't completely resolved her mood, when facing Li Jia, Ye Chengxing's face showed only a relaxed smile, hiding all her other emotions without revealing a trace.

Li Jia looked at her, and her gaze fell on the phone and headphones in Ye Chengxing's hands.

The Omega's face showed a pure smile. "I felt that sister seemed worried about something, so I made a cup of calming tea and some other snacks that help improve sleep quality."

Ye Chengxing had only looked at Li Jia and hadn't noticed what she was holding in her hands.

But now, her gaze shifted and she saw it. The tea and snacks were beautifully placed on a tray.

Ye Chengxing's heart warmed.

She didn't think she had shown much, but unexpectedly, Li Jia was able to sense it.

She parted her lips to say something, but before she could speak, Li Jia continued, "It's not very convenient for sister to hold things. Let me bring them in for you."

As she spoke, the Omega smiled and looked at her. "Sister, can I enter your room?"

Ye Chengxing felt a bit embarrassed, but it didn't seem right to refuse. If she took the items herself, she would have to put them back and then come back again, which seemed a bit deliberate.

And Li Jia only made the suggestion because she saw Ye Chengxing holding things...

Thinking this, Ye Chengxing nodded, "Thank you, Xiaoli."

Li Jia nodded and obtained her consent to come in. She closed the door behind her without making a sound and then looked at Ye Chengxing. "Sister, you always tell me not to say thank you, but it seems like you've been saying thank you a lot too."

Ye Chengxing was momentarily stunned by her words but quickly realized that it was true. She shook her head with a wry smile. "Indeed, I unintentionally end up saying it. Now that I think about it, I don't really have a reason to stop you from saying thank you. After all, I haven't been able to avoid it myself."

Li Jia placed the tray on the nearby table. "How about this then? Let's set a rule. If either of us accidentally says thank you or something similar like sorry, we'll hug each other for ten seconds."

Upon hearing Li Jia's suggestion, Ye Chengxing imagined the scene and had a slightly hesitant expression on her face. "Well, let me clarify that I don't mean to say this proposal is bad. It's just that it feels a bit..."

She pondered on how to describe it with the right words, and then Li Jia continued, "It feels a bit awkward and difficult, right?"

After saying that, the Omega added, "That's exactly the kind of difficulty we should aim for. After getting used to saying thank you so many times, if we accidentally say it a few more times, we won't feel the need to say it again."

It seemed to make sense.

Ye Chengxing nodded. "Alright, I'll also try my best not to say thank you anymore."

The Omega sweetly blinked at her. "I'll do my best too. Let's keep each other in check."

At that point, Li Jia glanced at the phone and headphones in Ye Chengxing's hands, looking curious. "Sister, are you planning to watch a movie?"

After saying that, she realized something. "Ah, sorry sister, I didn't mean to peek at your phone screen. I just caught a glimpse and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity..."

"It's okay, it's no problem." Ye Chengxing smiled.

After smiling, she suddenly remembered that Li Jia had just said "sorry."

The suggestion they made just a minute ago, and now she had already said the "forbidden words" so quickly. Ye Chengxing's gaze paused, and a daring guess inexplicably emerged in her mind.

...Could it be that Li Jia did it on purpose?

Her heart rate suddenly accelerated uncontrollably because of this guess.

Ye Chengxing quietly took a deep breath but soon realized something.

If Li Jia did it intentionally, what was the point of knowingly committing an offense? Was it just to hug each other for ten seconds?

Thinking about Li Jia's various reactions during the day and her fluctuating moods that only she experienced, Ye Chengxing involuntarily dismissed this guess.

It was highly unlikely...

She raised her eyes and looked at Li Jia. As expected, Omega had a helpless expression on her face. "Ha, I didn't expect that I would be the first to break the rule. Is this like lifting a stone only to drop it on my own foot?"

Listening to her joking remark, Ye Chengxing smiled on her face but felt a sense of inexplicable disappointment in her heart.

She thought Li Jia did it on purpose, proposing such a rule and then intentionally breaking it, intentionally... just to embrace her.

Li Jia looked at her and hesitated for two seconds. She took a step closer to Ye Chengxing, then another step, whispering as she walked, "Seems like this kind of hug in this situation is indeed a bit awkward."

Seeing her slow movements, Ye Chengxing thought that it would take several seconds for Li Jia to come over, so she took the initiative to walk towards Li Jia.

She cleared her throat lightly and avoided direct eye contact with Li Jia, trying not to appear too eager. She made an encouraging expression and said, "Come on, it's just a ten-second hug after all."

Seeing Ye Chengxing's attitude, which seemed like she was ready to get it over with, Li Jia's expression darkened slightly. The pleasant mood from successfully executing her plan just moments ago suddenly turned a bit unpleasant.

The Omega didn't say anything and unexpectedly pulled Ye Chengxing into a tight embrace.

It wasn't a gentle hug. Ye Chengxing felt the cool strands of Li Jia's hair brushing against her face, leaving a slightly ticklish sensation, as if being caressed by feathers.

Under this embrace, she also caught a faint scent of the Omega's pheromones.

She wondered if it was her imagination, but it seemed like the smell of peaches had become even sweeter at this moment, with a subtle hint of bitterness.

It was as if the owner of the pheromones was feeling complex emotions at the moment.

While experiencing all of this, Ye Chengxing couldn't help but wonder if the hug had been going on for too long. It felt like it had exceeded ten seconds.

Just as she was thinking about it, Li Jia's voice sounded in her ear, "Sister, I forgot to count the seconds. Did you count?"

Ye Chengxing responded and confessed, "...I didn't count either." But she guessed that it had definitely been more than ten seconds.

However, she hesitated for a moment and didn't say the latter half of her thoughts. Instead, she whispered, "Then I'll start counting now."

She hugged Li Jia back and began counting, "Ten, nine..."

"Eight..."

As Ye Chengxing counted down, she couldn't help but blush. She hadn't controlled her emotions earlier, and by the time she realized it, she intentionally prolonged the hug, hoping that L Jia wouldn't notice. Let her be selfish this time and selfishly enjoy these ten seconds.

"Seven, six..."

While the Alpha's countdown continued, Li Jia suddenly spoke softly, "Let me count. After all, I'm the one who broke the rule."

Ye Chengxing's words paused, and then she heard Li Jia take over the counting.

Compared to Ye Chengxing's speed in counting, Li Jia's countdown seemed to be a bit slower.

Ye Chengxing's first instinct was relief that Li Jia couldn't see her face now, otherwise, she would surely see her blushing face.

Did Li Jia really slow down? Or was Li Jia's speech always like this?

Although she knew that everything was probably just her own speculation, she couldn't help but search for those details that might indicate that "she might also have some feelings for her."

As the final second ticked away, just as Li Jia was about to let go, Ye Chengxing quickly moved to the side and turned off the lights. Fortunately, they were not far from the light switch.

Ye Chengxing knew that this action was quite abrupt, but compared to Li Jia seeing her blushing face, suddenly turning off the lights seemed like a better explanation.

With this in mind, the Alpha quietly breathed a sigh of relief and offered the explanation she had already prepared, "Xiaoli guessed correctly. I was just about to start watching when you knocked. Now I plan to continue watching, and turning off the lights creates a better atmosphere."

With the bedroom lights off, the presence within their field of vision dimmed, but it wasn't so dark that they couldn't see anything. They could still vaguely see a few things.

However, they could only see a little. Ye Chengxing concluded that at this moment, Li Jia probably couldn't see the expression on her face.

Indeed, Li Jia couldn't see Ye Chengxing's facial expression clearly.

Ye Chengxing's reaction was somewhat abrupt and unnatural, and...

Was she trying to rush Li Jia away by saying that? Did Ye Chengxing sense something during that hug and wanted to make her leave quickly?

Li Jia chuckled, took a step forward, not in the direction of leaving, but straight toward Ye Chengxing. "Sister, what movie are you planning to watch? I want to watch it too. Can you take me with you?"

Ye Chengxing saw Li Jia approaching and had the urge to step back, but she realized that it would be even more noticeable, so she held back.

...Her face must still be very red now. Although it was indeed dark in the room, if Li Jia got any closer, she might really notice.

No one blushes like this from just a hug. No, she definitely couldn't let it show.

Ye Chengxing unlocked her phone screen, which had automatically turned off during the embrace, and turned the screen towards Li Jia, gesturing, "It's this movie. Have you seen it, Li Jia?"

Look at the screen.

Don't look at me.

Please don't look at me.

Li Jia saw Ye Chengxing turning the screen towards her and naturally looked at it. Ye Chengxing breathed a sigh of relief.

This romance movie seemed to be quite famous, and the recommendation also said it was good. Maybe Li Jia had seen it, and if she had, it would be a perfect reason...

Before Ye Chengxing could fully form her thoughts, Li Jia shook her head, "I haven't seen it. What genre is it?"

She hasn't seen it?

Ye Chengxing paused for a moment, but then realized that this explanation was believable. Considering Li Jia's past situation of being controlled, she might not have had the opportunity to see it, and recently she had been focusing on studying and filming with the crew every day.

Perhaps her stunned expression was too obvious. In the next second, Ye Chengxing heard Li Jia's lonely voice, "I actually haven't really watched movies, especially not like this, nor have I watched them with others. I guess I asked too many questions..."

Ye Chengxing could sense the cautious emotion in the Omega's words, and it made her feel a bit uncomfortable, especially when she thought about how Li Jia had been controlled in the past. It instantly filled her with self-blame and heartache.

"What do you mean by asking too many questions? I haven't seen this movie either. Let's watch it together." She pulled Li Jia to sit on the bed, facing the screen towards themselves, and activated the 3D projection mode.

After saying that, she remembered that she hadn't answered Li Jia's question about the movie genre earlier, so she continued, "It's a romance movie."

Being pulled to sit down, Li Jia seemed happy but also a bit anxious. In the light of the projection, Ye Chengxing saw Li Jia squinting her eyes and nodding seriously, "It's a romance movie."

Ye Chengxing responded with a soft "Hmm." "The recommendations say it's pretty good, but I haven't seen it, so I'm not sure if it's good or not."

As she spoke, she got up and brought the calming tea and snacks that Li Jia had made. Watching a movie would be better with something to eat.

However, whether it was the snacks or the calming tea, Li Jia had only made enough for one person. After all, they hadn't anticipated sitting down together in the bedroom to watch a movie.

Ye Chengxing put the items down and looked at Li Jia. "Let me prepare a bit more. I'll be back soon."

As she finished speaking, Ye Chengxing was about to walk towards the door when she felt her wrist gently pulled by Li Jia. "The movie has already started. Although we can pause it, let's not. Shall we continue watching like this?"

There was a hint of anticipation in the Omega's words.

"It's okay even if there's only one portion. After all, these were originally prepared for you alone, sister."

Ye Chengxing's footsteps halted, and after feeling that anticipation, her heart instantly softened.

She sat back beside Li Jia again, speaking in an extremely gentle tone, "Alright, I'll listen to you. I won't go."

"Sister is really kind," Li Jia blinked her eyes and continued, "It's nice to watch a movie with sister. I'm so happy."

Ye Chengxing softly hummed, "I'm also happy to watch a movie with you."

She raised her hand and rubbed Li Jia's head, then placed a soft pillow behind Omega. "It's more comfortable leaning against this."

Li Jia felt the gentle force on her head and lightly rubbed against it with her hair. "It's indeed very comfortable."

Feeling Omega's small gesture, the warmth that had finally subsided from Ye Chengxing's face instantly returned.

...So cute.

Ye Chengxing coughed and thought to herself that it was fortunate she had entered a novel world. If this were a manga, her current image would surely have her face turning red to the point of explosion, with smoke even coming out of her head.

The bedroom was finally dark. Although the light from the 3D projection made the room not completely black, Ye Chengxing didn't see Li Jia leaning on the pillow when she said those words.

Upon hearing Li Jia's remark, Ye Chengxing thought she was complimenting the comfort of the pillow, so she agreed, "Yes, I find it very comfortable too."

Unconsciously, the distance between the two had become indistinguishable as they leaned against each other.

By this time, the movie had already started, and the opening credits were almost over, transitioning to the main storyline.

Although Ye Chengxing had learned from the recommendations that it was a "BE" (Bad/Bittersweet Ending) movie, the early tones and plot were quite beautiful.

Ye Chengxing didn't watch many movies before, and although she didn't watch this type of genre often, she could immerse herself in any kind of movie.

The surroundings were dark, with only the projection in front emitting a bright and radiant white light, falling upon the two of them watching the movie.

The story of the movie wasn't complicated. It began in a school setting, with two female protagonists, an Alpha and an Omega.

In the movie, the first female lead was a troublemaker with poor grades, spending her days in school either fighting or sleeping. She was a headache for everyone, and people had given up on dealing with her. After her mother left, it seemed like she took away her mother's heart, leaving only the stench of alcohol from her mother's daily drunkenness at home.

On the other hand, the second female lead was the complete opposite. She had transferred to this school and was an excellent student with a prominent family background. Everyone liked her.

At first, the first lead didn't like the second lead, and the second lead kept her distance from the first lead. It wasn't until an accident occurred that they accidentally saw each other's most vulnerable sides, and their paths began to intertwine.

The entire movie, whether in terms of cinematography or storytelling, was delicate and moving, portraying the youthful and innocent feelings that emerged and the healing sense of mutual redemption.

As Ye Chengxing watched this, she felt that it was quite beautiful. She secretly glanced at Li Jia, and Omega was attentively focused on the movie, her gaze completely absorbed.

In the early stages, there weren't many intimate interactions between the two main characters, as the story took place in a school setting. The closest they got was on their graduation night when they shared a fleeting kiss by the seaside.

The movie's pace wasn't fast, it mostly depicted their daily lives, from school to graduation. Scene by scene, in the blink of an eye, the two main characters had already entered society. They worked in different places and gradually began to see each other less due to their busy schedules. Arguments between them also became more frequent.

On a winter day, the second lead proposed a breakup to the first lead, her tone filled with pain. "I don't know the reason... but I truly no longer feel love for you."

The love that had begun passionately in their youth came to an end at this point.

The ending of the movie is that the first female lead brought a bouquet to the second female lead on the day of her wedding, while she herself boarded a train heading far away. As the train moved into the distance, the movie screen gradually turned dark.

The movie ended here.

Ye Chengxing stared at the now dark screen and said, "..."

How should she put it? The ending feels rushed, but it's also somewhat reasonable.

But no matter how you look at it, this movie can't be considered good. The later plot was too rushed, a world of difference compared to the earlier part.It feels like being deceived.jpg

After a while, Li Jia softly spoke, "I don't like this ending."

Ye Chengxing nodded in agreement, "The later plot was indeed rushed."

As the words fell, Ye Chengxing heard Li Jia ask, "Doesn't the first lead like the second lead?"

Ye Chengxing recalled the plot for a moment and said, "Liking to this extent probably isn't enough, she must deeply love the second lead."

"Then why did she break up with the second lead? And even gave her flowers on her wedding day... Is she not upset? Is she willing to let go so easily?"

Ye Chengxing met Li Jia's eyes from the side, and the Omega seemed genuinely confused about what the first lead was thinking, asking several questions in a row.

Ye Chengxing made a thoughtful sound and answered, "If it were me, I would probably do the same. Even if I deeply loved someone, it's better to let go in this situation."

Speaking up to this point, Ye Chengxing shook her head with a smile, "I might even wish them happiness."

Li Jia responded with a sound, and her eyelashes fluttered lightly. "I see, I understand."

......

No, she didn't understand at all.

Why let go?

If it were her, she would use every means and method.

As long as she could keep the other person by her side.

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