CHAPTER 62

Li Jia's injuries recovered quickly, and she healed in just a few days. However, after these two incidents, Ye Chengxing basically personally picked up and dropped off Li Jia in the car, always being attentive, in case any unexpected situations occurred.

In fact, since Lin Xuan and his group were all sent to prison, life had become more peaceful.

Ye Chengxing publicly posted the well-organized recipes on the Star Network and occasionally did live broadcasts to demonstrate cooking and baking desserts.

The food street had also finished its renovation and started operating.

This kind of selling pattern had never been seen before here. When they first opened, it was always crowded with people. To prevent overcrowding and stampedes, they had to implement a reservation system, allowing a portion of people to enter during each time slot based on their reservation number.

Ye Chengxing remembered that Li Jia's filming would wrap up in about two weeks. She had reserved two spots for that time and planned to invite Li Jia to join her then.

While Li Jia was still recovering from her hand injury, she was quite clingy, but after her injury healed, she became extremely busy, seemingly overwhelmed with all the things she had accumulated during her recovery days.

Apart from that, there was another thing that Ye Chengxing found somewhat uncomfortable.

Ever since Li Jia became busy, she noticed that she was encountering the original female lead more frequently.

Wen Qingxi liked to visit her food shop, but due to her status, she always had many people accompanying her, which drew a lot of attention from passersby. She would stay until the shop closed.

With the increasing frequency of their encounters, when they closed the shop today, Ye Chengxing let Xi Yue and the others leave first and called out to Wen Qingxi.

She looked at Wen Qingxi and gently discussed the matter, "Or, if you really want to eat, you can make a reservation..."

The main thing was that she often felt like Wen Qingxi wasn't here to buy food but rather used it as an excuse for something else.

"Miss Ye, I was actually trying to talk to you about this," no matter how many times they met, Wen Qingxi always seemed weak. It was the same now, and her tone carried some apology, appearing self-reproachful, "I've had poor health since I was young, and there are many people watching me, so I have a lot of people around me... I genuinely like the environment here at Miss Ye's place, but I didn't expect it to cause such great trouble. I'll be more careful in the future."

This caught Ye Chengxing a bit off guard, especially with Wen Qingxi pausing to cough every so often as she spoke.

"It's alright, it's really not a big deal."

She sighed and was about to say something else when suddenly the shop door was pushed open, making a faint sound.

"Hello, the shop is already closed..." Ye Chengxing turned her gaze and paused when she saw who it was.

But immediately, her eyes curved with surprise. "Xiaoli, why are you here?"

Li Jia approached them upon hearing that, her expression clearly smiling, but her tone carrying an odd hint of mockery. "What, she can come but I can't?"

"Or am I... interrupting something?" she added.

Ye Chengxing heard Li Jia's words and before she could think it through, she heard Wen Qingxi suddenly speak. The Beta's tone was still polite, but it seemed to carry some other implied meaning: "Miss Ye just stopped me specially to talk to me about something."

"Is that so?" Li Jia looked at her with a smile, her expression still cheerful. "I thought you had already finished what you wanted to say, but you're still here."

Ye Chengxing glanced at the two of them, wanting to say something but never getting the chance to interject.

Li Jia sensed Ye Chengxing's gaze and realized something. She walked over to Wen Qingxi's side and met Ye Chengxing's gaze, her tone sounding different from usual: "Sister, can I talk to her alone for a moment?"

The people accompanying Wen Qingxi seemed like they wanted to follow, but Wen Qingxi stopped them. She raised her hand gently and spoke in a gentle and unwavering tone: "This is a private matter between Li Jia and me, you don't need to come."

Ye Chengxing looked at the two of them as they walked away together.

... Did they know each other?

They seemed quite familiar with each other.

She thought about it for a moment and felt that Li Jia's expression just now was a bit off, and Wen Qingxi even called Li Jia by her name directly.

After hesitating for two seconds, feeling somewhat uneasy, Ye Chengxing decided to follow them and see what was going on.

She pushed open the shop door but paused when she reached the corner.

They were a bit far away, so she couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could see that they were standing very close to each other. It seemed like they were whispering something that only they could hear, Omega and Beta.

Ye Chengxing noticed Li Jia reaching out and taking off the ring that Wen Qingxi usually wore on her thumb. She remembered a few days ago when someone accidentally touched that ring, and Wen Qingxi's expression instantly turned cold.

But now, Wen Qingxi didn't have much of a reaction. In fact, there was a faint smile on her lips as she allowed Li Jia to take off the ring.

The distance between them seemed to have grown closer.

.....

There was a faint sound of something breaking on the ring, as Li Jia destroyed the interference device on it. Wen Qingxi's gaze turned cold.

"No need to look at me like that," Wen Qingxi covered her lips and coughed lightly. Her voice was faint. "Speaking of which, Miss Ye doesn't know that the necklace you gave her has a listening device, does she? What you're doing is quite inappropriate. Besides, she's not your lover, and you shouldn't interfere too much with whom she wants to be with. Just like how it's not your business if she wants to be with me, right?"

As she said this, she met Li Jia's gaze. The Omega suddenly stepped forward and pressed the ring against her throat, but the smile on Wen Qingxi's lips became even more apparent. "If she knew you were listening to her, do you think she would appreciate it?"

"Li Jia, do you know what love is?"

......

When Ye Chengxing came back to her senses, she realized that she had unknowingly returned to the shop.

Come to think of it, she should have noticed something earlier...

And Li Jia had always been resistant to Alphas, even showing aversion to most pheromones. Wen Qingxi happened to be a Beta, so she must have been coming to the restaurant all this time in the hope of seeing Li Jia.

Ye Chengxing pressed her temples and suddenly chuckled, realizing the change in her own feelings.

Li Jia had always seen her as an older sister and relied on her, but Ye Chengxing had developed feelings for Li Jia. She couldn't just interfere with Li Jia's affairs because of that.

Moreover, this was the outcome she had been hoping for. If Li Jia truly had feelings for someone and that person was a good match, Ye Chengxing should bless Li Jia as her older sister.

Ye Chengxing glanced at the people Wen Qingxi had left behind the sho[.

... They were probably still outside together.

If they truly liked each other, she should offer her blessings, but it still hurt in her heart.

Ye Chengxing walked into the kitchen and opened the smart storage room, taking out a bottle of liquor.

She used to think alcohol was useless, but at this moment, she felt that it didn't need to have much purpose. It just needed to numb her thoughts for a while.

Just like how she needed to quickly adjust her own feelings that were causing her discomfort. If she accidentally expressed her thoughts, the situation would become truly difficult to handle.

Perhaps "difficult to handle" wasn't a suitable description. It should be said that the situation would be very ugly.

As Ye Chengxing contemplated, she finished one glass and unconsciously poured another.

She wasn't a frequent drinker, and her tolerance wasn't particularly high.

When she realized she might have had too much to drink, the lingering dizziness of intoxication had already started to set in.

Ye Chengxing noticed that Li Jia and the others hadn't returned yet, so she decided to go outside and get some fresh air, hoping it would sober her up a bit.

She felt like she was walking on clouds, light and floating, but the chaotic thoughts in her mind didn't become any quieter.

Was this what being drunk felt like?

Was she not drunk yet?

Ye Chengxing looked up at the sky and thought that the two moons tonight were exceptionally round.

While gazing at the moon, she heard someone calling her from her ear.

Ye Chengxing turned around at the sound, but before she could see who was calling her, she stumbled because she couldn't stand steadily.

Out of instinct, Li Jia reached out her hand, but Ye Chengxing saw her hand reaching out, steadied herself, and ended up facing away from Li Jia.

"Li Jia, were you calling me?" Her gaze seemed blurry due to the alcohol.

Because of her turning around, standing in front of her was Wen Qingxi, who chuckled and tapped her cane lightly on the ground. "Miss Ye, are you drunk? I'm Wen Qingxi. Give me your hand, and I'll take you home."

Ye Chengxing furrowed her brows and regained some consciousness as she reluctantly made out Wen Qingxi's face. She was about to refuse when she felt someone pulling her into their embrace without her consent.

The faint scent of white peaches filled her senses, so Ye Chengxing, who was just about to speak, closed her lips again.

"No need to trouble yourself, sister has me, you don't need to send her back." Li Jia said, placing Ye Chengxing's arm on her shoulder. She also took the opportunity to call out the people around Wen Qingxi and then closed the door of the shop.

Li Jia brought Ye Chengxing back to the car, fastened Alpha's seatbelt, and when she withdrew her hand, she met Ye Chengxing's gaze.

Honestly, it seemed like the first time she had seen Ye Chengxing like this.

Ye Chengxing had never shown any signs of vulnerability in front of her before.

Li Jia's gaze softened slightly.

It had only been a short while, but how did she end up getting herself drunk during that time? Could it be that she had really discussed something heartfelt with Wen Qingxi?

Li Jia returned to the driver's seat, mindful of Ye Chengxing in the co-pilot seat, and deliberately drove slowly.

By the time they arrived home like this, the night sky had grown darker.

Actually, looking at Ye Chengxing like this, it was hard to tell that she was drunk. When she didn't speak, she still seemed fine.

However, as soon as she opened her mouth, her speech became fragmented and blurred.

Li Jia parked the car, and Ye Chengxing glanced at her, suddenly saying, "Actually, I'm quite happy today."

Although she knew that people who were drunk probably didn't even know what they were saying, Li Jia still responded, "Why are you happy?"

Ye Chengxing seemed to have not heard her words clearly, or perhaps she had been talking to herself from the beginning.

"...But it's also good this way. As long as you're doing well, and after the mission is over, I can go home with peace of mind..."

Li Jia rarely saw this side of Ye Chengxing.

With a smile in her eyes, the Omega leaned down and said, "Sister, we're already home."

Ye Chengxing reacted a beat slower upon hearing her words, and then she too curved her lips. She seemed to be laughing, but her tone carried a hint of nostalgic longing.

"My home is not in this world..."

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