Chapter 74 – Nutrient Solution Update

Chapter 74 - Nutrient Solution Update

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Ye Chengxing's sleep had been excessively long, and even though she was asleep, the exhaustion in her body did not dissipate as she had imagined; instead, it became even more intense.

It felt like being forcefully submerged underwater and then pulled up just before suffocating, her consciousness muddled and hazy.

She didn't know how much time had passed, floating in this invisible water until she heard Li Jia calling her name. Only then did she manage to pull herself out of this state.

Ye Chengxing opened her eyes, feeling not only dizzy but also experiencing a prickling pain all over her body.

"Sis, get up and have some medicine."

Li Jia placed the prepared medicine on the bedside table and reached out to feel Ye Chengxing's forehead.

She seemed less feverish.

Was it because of yesterday, when they were in the back garden playing with the rabbits and she caught a chill? Was this what happened when someone who rarely fell ill suddenly got sick?

The pale golden chain had been removed by Li Jia after she noticed Ye Chengxing's fever.

Li Jia used a smart thermometer to take Ye Chengxing's temperature.

The smart thermometer beeped, and she lowered her gaze to look at the number displayed —

36.4 degrees Celsius.

Good, her temperature had dropped.

Ye Chengxing could sense that Li Jia was talking to her, but her consciousness was scattered, and even if she tried to concentrate, she couldn't make out what the Omega was saying.

After striving to focus and failing, the exhaustion in her body became even more pronounced, and her barely lucid mind began to drift off once more.

Li Jia clearly realized that Ye Chengxing was too out of it to hear what she was saying.

The Omega gently held her against her chest and then took the medicine from beside them, feeding it into Chengxing's mouth, lip to lip.

After finishing the medicine, she wiped away any excess that hadn't been swallowed with a tissue.

Although her fever had subsided, Ye Chengxing's complexion remained very pale.

Her lips were abnormally vivid due to the recent feeding, but this color did not improve her overall appearance. Instead, it made her look even paler, almost transparent, conveying a sense of fragility.

Li Jia looked at her for a moment before suddenly becoming uncertain. She pinched Chengxing's waist and then ran her hands over her entire body. She could tell that Ye Chengxing had lost a significant amount of weight, to the point where she could almost feel bones beneath her skin.

This level of weight loss couldn't have happened overnight or simply due to this one bout of illness.

When did this start?

In truth, Li Jia rarely saw Ye Chengxing looking vulnerable, or rather, she had never seen her this way before.

Her sister always seemed mature and accommodating, always facing her with positive emotions, gently stroking her hair, taking meticulous care of her, staying by her side through the night when she was sick, and arranging everything perfectly for her.

Li Jia reached out to touch Ye Chengxing's forehead again.

The fever had indeed subsided.

But for some reason, she felt an overwhelming sense of unease.

Li Jia carefully helped Ye Chengxing lie back down on the bed and covered her with the blanket. After staring at the Alpha for a few seconds, she decided to head to the kitchen.

Plain congee, while bland, might not provide much energy, so she made vegetable congee, which is suitable for consumption during sickness and can provide more nourishment.

After cooking the congee, she also prepared honey lemon water, thinking it would be good for Ye Chengxing to drink once she woke up.

Once everything was ready, Li Jia stored these items in the smart pantry.

Back in the room, Ye Chengxing's position hadn't changed much since Li Jia left downstairs. Despite knowing that the Alpha was merely sleeping and needed rest after her fever broke, she couldn't help but feel anxious upon seeing this scene.

The medicine had already been given, and she wanted to wake her up to eat something, but seeing her like this made her think it would be better to let her rest first before waking her up for a meal.

Li Jia sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze resting on Ye Chengxing's face.

There she lay, incredibly still, her breathing barely audible.

As Li Jia watched, she noticed how exhausted Ye Chengxing looked. Perhaps it was because Chengxing usually faced her with a smile, bright and sunny, making her feel good whenever their gazes met. She often talked, ensuring there were no awkward silences when they were together, and even the bedtime stories she told her every night were different each time.

But when she closed her eyes, the weariness she had been hiding became evident, laid bare completely.

Just like how Li Jia had only noticed today how much weight Ye Chengxing had lost.

She suddenly remembered that Ye Chengxing had rarely taken off her clothes completely when they were intimate. Usually, when she was a bit disoriented after their lovemaking and Chengxing carried her to clean up, that was when her clothes would come off, but by the time she regained her senses, Ye Chengxing would already be dressed again.

Initially, she thought Chengxing refrained from undressing because she was uncomfortable with such intimacy.

But was it because she had lost so much weight and didn't want her to see?

Once these thoughts started, more details that she hadn't paid much attention to before surfaced. She recalled the time when Ye Chengxing nearly fell and leaned against her for a long time without speaking. Chengxing said it was a joke, and at the time, Li Jia simply told her not to make such jokes anymore.

Was it really just a joke?

Why did she believe that at the time instead of taking her straight to the hospital for a checkup?

How had Ye Chengxing managed during this period...

If this was the case, then the reason she had never fully marked her...

"How come you're crying?"

At that moment, Li Jia suddenly heard a soft and gentle voice by her ear.

She lifted her eyes at once, meeting Ye Chengxing's gaze.

Ye Chengxing coughed twice, propping herself up to sit. Seeing this, Li Jia quickly reached out.

As she helped her up, Ye Chengxing paused before smiling and saying, "It's not that bad yet. But seeing your expression, I felt like I was already... dead..."

Noticing the reddening of Li Jia's eyes, Ye Chengxing stopped, coughing softly again. She reached out to rub the Omega's hair. "It's okay, don't cry, be good."

Then she joked, "Now you really look just like the little rabbit I made for you yesterday."

Opening her eyes, a smile lit up her face, softening the pallor of illness.

Hearing her words, Li Jia touched the cool liquid on her face, realizing she was crying.

She hugged Ye Chengxing, feeling how thin she had become, alarming her.

"It's alright, sis, I'll take you to the hospital..."

She released her, as if about to get up for something.

"What are you talking about?" Ye Chengxing held her back, caressing her cheek with a hint of helplessness in her tone. "This is the price of staying in the mission world after completing a task. Going to the hospital won't help."

Li Jia caught a phrase from her words, her body trembling. "Wh-what?"

"The price of staying in the mission world after completing a task?" She turned her gaze, speaking word by word, her eyes red as if they might bleed.

Ye Chengxing paused mid-sentence.

Seeing Li Jia like this, she suddenly realized something, her tone bewildered. "Little Li didn't know? About the weakening of a missioner's body if they remain in the world after completing their task."

Li Jia stared at her, her voice turning hoarse instantly.

"I didn't know..."

She truly hadn't known the cost of keeping her would be this.

If only she had known... If only she had known, she never would have forced her to stay.

She would rather she had left.