I Really Didn't Intend to Pick Up the Black Lotus Omega - Chapter 10

The old lamp flickered erratically, hanging above Yu Qing’s head.

She stared at the person buried in her arms, her entire body stiffening.

Down in the basement, the relentless chirping of cicadas from the treetops was muffled. Cold air seeped through the walls, penetrating every corner of the space.

Yu Qing thought this must be the most calming place imaginable—if not for the constant warmth pressing against her chest.

Jiang Nianyu was pressed tightly against her, Yu Qing’s sun-protective jacket covering most of her body.

Jiang Nianyu’s breath couldn’t escape the confined space, fluttering against Yu Qing’s chest like it wanted to melt into her heart.

Yu Qing couldn’t tell if it was too itchy or too hot. It took her a long moment to shake off the sensation and regain her composure.

She cleared her throat, wanting to ask Jiang Nianyu what was wrong.

But in the damp, cold light, her white jacket was trembling slightly beneath Jiang Nianyu’s slender fingers.

Yu Qing had seen this scene before.

Just recently, at the hospital, when Jiang Nianyu had recalled her forgotten memories.

Though the surroundings weren’t particularly quiet—cars whizzed by and pedestrians’ footsteps drew near—Yu Qing remained silent, simply wrapping her jacket around Jiang Nianyu, who was trying to hide.

Just as she had repeatedly drawn the curtains around Jiang Nianyu’s hospital bed.

“Aiyoh, this is like searching for a needle in a haystack! How is the old lady getting more senile with age…?”

“Tell me about it. She’s driving us crazy.”

“Just go through the motions. Let’s hope we don’t run into her.”

The men sighed, muttered words Yu Qing couldn’t understand, and passed by them.

She paid them no mind, focusing solely on comforting Jiang Nianyu through this difficult moment. After a few seconds, Jiang Nianyu finally relaxed.

“Feeling better?” Yu Qing asked softly, noticing Jiang Nianyu’s grip on her sleeve loosen slightly.

Jiang Nianyu’s gaze, however, didn’t immediately return to Yu Qing. Instead, her eyes followed the line of Yu Qing’s shoulder into the distance, watching the two suited men disappear before slowly drifting back to Yu Qing’s face.

She knew she should respond to Yu Qing’s concern and offer an explanation for her sudden behavior. “…I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I… I think I remembered something.”

“It’s okay,” Yu Qing said, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about it.”

Seeing Jiang Nianyu’s pale complexion, her face, marked with a barely visible bandage, looked utterly bloodless. Yu Qing promptly took off her sun-protective jacket and draped it over Jiang Nianyu’s shoulders. “The damp, stagnant air here might be affecting you,” she said. “You’re still recovering from your illness—don’t catch a chill.”

As she spoke, Yu Qing thoughtfully pulled the jacket’s hood over Jiang Nianyu’s head, enveloping her in the scent of her own body.

Unlike Yu Qing’s earlier deliberate closeness, this sudden, all-encompassing embrace of her scent caught Jiang Nianyu completely off guard.

The desire she had deliberately suppressed that morning, when her mood had been difficult to soothe, now surged to the surface, finding an outlet.

Too much of her scent, Jiang Nianyu thought.

They had been carrying so many things that both of them were slightly sweaty.

The damp, cold air was now blocked out by the jacket, leaving only pure warmth enveloping Jiang Nianyu, clinging to her neck where the suppressant patch lay.

A suffocating, airtight seal.

Jiang Nianyu felt a wave of panic rise within her.

When Yu Qing and Jiang Nianyu reached the taxi stand, the driver had already arrived on time.

At noon, the world felt stifling under the scorching sun.

The moment Jiang Nianyu stepped out of the underground parking garage, she felt dizzy and her hands went limp.

Noticing her reaction, Yu Qing asked, “Still feeling unwell?”

Jiang Nianyu nodded slightly, her breathing heavy, her head bowed beneath her cap.

“If you’re not feeling well, take a nap. I’ll wake you when we get home,” Yu Qing said, patting her shoulder to signal Jiang Nianyu could lean against her.

Sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating Jiang Nianyu’s unfocused gaze.

Whether it was Yu Qing’s invitation or some other unspoken reason, Jiang Nianyu didn’t hesitate. She obediently rested her head on Yu Qing’s shoulder.

The air conditioner circulated cool air, masking the slow rise and fall of their body temperatures with a veneer of calm.

Yu Qing’s scent always calmed Jiang Nianyu. Leaning against her shoulder, she drifted off to sleep.

Yu Qing let Jiang Nianyu rest against her, scrolling through her phone with one hand, thoughtfully reviewing the original owner’s work responsibilities at the company.

Only the taxi driver occasionally glanced in the rearview mirror, his gaze lingering for a moment.

He gazed at the composed Beta with a complex expression, wanting to speak but holding back.

Hadn’t this Beta just asked the Omega if she was still feeling unwell?

She must know, right?

There shouldn’t be any problems…

Around noon, traffic in the city center was heavy, turning a fifteen-minute drive into half an hour.

As they approached the apartment building where they lived, Yu Qing gently shook Jiang Nianyu’s shoulder and whispered, “Jiang Nianyu. We’re home, Jiang Nianyu.”

—”Little Fish, wake up! We’re home!”

—”Little Fish, don’t sleep! Mommy will make you something delicious when we get home.”

—”Little Fish…”

The car slowly came to a stop in front of the building, the inertia causing Jiang Nianyu’s shoulder to sway slightly.

The summer sun beat down fiercely, as if casting a white haze over everything.

Jiang Nianyu drowsily opened her eyes, her memories fragmented. As her vision gradually cleared, she saw Yu Qing’s concerned face.

We’re home.

The girl’s cool eyes flickered. She exhaled deeply, an overwhelming sense of longing for that word washing over her.

Yu Qing hopped out of the car, grabbed their belongings, and closed the trunk for the driver in one smooth motion. She didn’t forget to walk around to the other side to help Jiang Nianyu out.

They took the elevator to the twelfth floor. Sunlight streamed through the corridor windows, the summer heat thick and oppressive, making their skin feel sticky.

Yu Qing held Jiang Nianyu’s wrist and noticed she seemed even more sensitive to the heat. Less than a minute after stepping out of the air-conditioned car, Jiang Nianyu was already flushed.

“This summer heat is brutal,” Yu Qing sighed, pushing open the apartment door.

Many of the bags she carried contained items that needed refrigeration or freezing. Muttering to herself, she headed straight for the kitchen refrigerator.

Unseen by Yu Qing, Jiang Nianyu stumbled into the entryway, her steps unsteady.

The hat Yu Qing had given her still perched on her small head, casting her pale face in shadow. Beneath the brim, an unusual flush bloomed across her cheeks.

This home carried a scent far richer and more intense than Yu Qing’s sun-protective clothing.

Jiang Nianyu sat down on the shoe-changing stool and exhaled heavily.

Her usually rigid shoulders slumped, softening into an uncharacteristic warmth.

What… what’s happening to me?

Jiang Nianyu stumbled into the living room, her mind hazy, and collapsed onto the sofa as if she were falling.

She felt the soft, reliable cushions supporting her body, yet a sense of unease lingered in her heart.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, blindingly bright.

To Jiang Nianyu, everything beyond the sofa seemed to dissolve into a white abyss, as if she could plunge into it at any moment.

“Jiang Nianyu.”

Suddenly, a familiar face intruded into her vision.

Yu Qing stared anxiously at the figure sprawled on the sofa, sensing something was terribly wrong. “Jiang Nianyu, what’s wrong?”

“I… I don’t know,” Jiang Nianyu murmured, her eyes unfocused, each word thick with heat.

Clutching her chest, she could feel her heart racing wildly.

The back of her neck felt unbearably damp, yet despite her burning body, she refused to take off Yu Qing’s jacket.

“Can you sit up…? You’re burning up!”

Yu Qing gripped Jiang Nianyu’s shoulders, trying to help her sit up, but recoiled at the terrifying heat radiating from her body.

Jiang Nianyu’s eyes reflected Yu Qing’s horrified expression. Swaying unsteadily, Jiang Nianyu gazed at Yu Qing, her gaze lingering on the nape of Yu Qing’s neck, partially visible beneath her loose hair. Suddenly, she collapsed against Yu Qing.

Her breath burned like fire, and her subtly pointed teeth grazed Yu Qing’s neck as she whispered in a voice as thin as silk, “Yu Qing… I feel so awful.”