I Really Didn't Intend to Pick Up the Black Lotus Omega - Chapter 35

Jiang Nianyu’s voice, neither loud nor soft, struck Yu Qing’s mind like a sudden explosion.

 

Dazed and feverish, Yu Qing glanced down at her pajamas a beat too late.

 

In the warm sunlight, the sausage dog printed on her pajamas grinned cheerfully up at her.

 

The shrill buzz of cicadas pierced Yu Qing’s eardrums. Beside the dog, she noticed the emptiness beneath her pajamas.

 

The cotton fabric lay bare against her skin, leaving her feeling drafty and exposed.

 

No wonder she’d felt so free when she woke up earlier. So this was the reason.

 

Yu Qing’s face flushed crimson, as if bl00d might drip from her cheeks.

 

That means… Jiang Nianyu saw everything!

 

Humans were truly strange creatures, willingly wrapping themselves in layers of pretense and shackling themselves with societal constraints, abandoning their primal instincts at a moment’s notice.

 

They had already done everything in the foyer last night, yet now, faced with genuine intimacy, Yu Qing blushed furiously, overwhelmed with embarrassment.

 

Strange humans.

 

Strange Betas.

 

Jiang Nianyu tilted her head slightly, observing Yu Qing’s flushed face with mild confusion.

 

She thought, if she were to faint, she’d gladly let Yu Qing change her clothes herself.

 

Even better if she didn’t faint at all.

 

Yet somehow, Jiang Nianyu found herself understanding Yu Qing’s embarrassment.

 

This person’s body was truly unforgettable.

 

Moreover, Yu Qing’s blushing and flustered demeanor made her utterly adorable.

 

Too easy to tempt one’s mischievous side.

 

“A-Qing, are you upset? But you were completely drenched back then. If you hadn’t changed into dry clothes, your fever would have gotten much worse,” Jiang Nianyu said, lowering her eyes, her voice tinged with a hint of guilt, as if she had done something wrong.

 

Seeing this, Yu Qing immediately waved her hand. “No, no.”

 

Sniffling through her stuffy nose, she mumbled, “It’s just… it’s just…”

 

Under the sunlight, Yu Qing’s ears glowed an especially vivid red.

 

Jiang Nianyu subtly glanced down, maintaining an innocent facade. “It’s just what?”

 

“It’s just… it’s just that the chicken wings you made were so delicious! Was it a lot of trouble to make them?” Yu Qing couldn’t bring herself to say, “I’m just embarrassed,” so she shifted the topic, focusing on the chicken wings in front of her.

 

Hearing this, Jiang Nianyu smoothly followed Yu Qing’s lead and shook her head. “Not at all.”

 

“It’s just cutting the chicken wings, marinating them, frying them briefly, and then simmering them in a sauce.”

 

Yu Qing found the process tedious, especially in this sweltering weather, where the air conditioning barely made a dent in the kitchen’s heat.

 

Just then, Jiang Nianyu added, “I read that ginger can dispel cold, so I fried some ginger slices beforehand. I also simmered a pot of ginger broth, sliced ginger, and ground some into a paste.”

 

As she spoke, Jiang Nianyu looked up, her usually bright eyes now clouded with disappointment. “If A-Qing doesn’t want it, I’ll just throw it away later. It wasn’t much trouble anyway.”

 

The moment those words left her lips, Yu Qing felt her nose stuff up again.

 

Her conscience gnawed at her.

 

The eaten chicken wings seemed to stab at her spine.

 

“Wait!” Yu Qing quickly grabbed Jiang Nianyu’s wrist as she moved to stand. “Since you’ve already made it, let’s start right away.”

 

Yu Qing glanced awkwardly at Jiang Nianyu, her fingertips pressing stiffly against her wrist.

 

She didn’t notice Jiang Nianyu’s pulse quickening slightly, nor the invisible net tightening around her from behind.

 

The sunlight glinted in Jiang Nianyu’s eyes, curving her lips into a satisfied smile. “Alright.”

 

 

After finishing her meal, Jiang Nianyu carried the tray downstairs.

 

Yu Qing knew what was coming. The moment Jiang Nianyu’s head disappeared at the top of the second-floor stairs, she swiftly stripped off her shirt and sprawled face-down on the bed like a little frog.

 

Her fever persisted, her face still flushed and warm.

 

Perhaps because of her illness, Jiang Nianyu hadn’t set the central air conditioning too low. A thin layer of sweat clung to Yu Qing’s skin, and the slightest breeze made her acutely aware of her bare back.

 

Normally, she only focused on skincare for her face and had never considered caring for her back.

 

Did she have scattered moles or acne scars there?

 

She wondered if Jiang Nianyu would find her back… lacking.

 

Yu Qing grew anxious, her head feeling heavier by the minute.

 

I need to stop thinking about this, she told herself, forcing her thoughts elsewhere.

 

Then, it finally struck her: she was supposed to be at work today, and she hadn’t called in sick.

 

If this counted as an unexcused absence, she’d lose a significant portion of her monthly pay!

 

Yu Qing frantically reached for her phone on the nightstand, only to find it as silent as a sleeping chicken.

 

Neither Gong Ning nor Siqing had messaged her, even though she hadn’t shown up for work all morning.

 

Feeling somewhat dissatisfied, Yu Qing finally picked up her heavy heart and opened her chat with Liaoliao.

 

Liaoliao-jie, I have a fever.

 

Now that Liaoliao was Yu Qing’s supervisor, Yu Qing no longer needed to argue with Sister Zhou to take time off.

 

Liaoliao replied almost instantly. Yu Qing had barely sent the message when…

 

I’ll approve your work-from-home request. Will a week be enough?

 

Yu Qing’s eyes, which had been drooping, suddenly widened at Liaoliao’s message.

 

She was surprised by Liaoliao’s phrasing. A week? Was work-from-home approval really that easy to get?

 

Yu Qing cautiously replied, Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?

 

Liaoliao remained strictly professional: Focus on recovering first. Come back to work next week. I’ll send you the login credentials shortly. You have a computer at home, right?

 

Initially, Liaoliao’s first sentence had warmed Yu Qing’s heart.

 

But the next sentence immediately reminded her of capitalist exploitation.

 

Yet, faced with the irresistible prospect of a week of work-from-home, Yu Qing couldn’t resist. Yes.

 

Good. Liaoliao replied with a single, economical word.

 

Then she added, Don’t rush to finish up yesterday’s tasks. The project team can’t keep up with your pace anyway. Just finish it the day after tomorrow.

 

Seeing this message, Yu Qing could almost picture Liaoliao’s expression of faint helplessness mixed with disdain.

 

Yet, beyond that expression, the words “You’re good” made Yu Qing wonder: Could this be Liaoliao’s way of acknowledging her?

 

Was she reading too much into it?

 

Was she one of the rare members of the project team who could keep up with Liaoliao?

 

If she couldn’t be number one, would being number two be so bad?

 

Yu Qing’s heart began to beat like a gentle drum.

 

But Liaoliao’s next message struck her like a heavy blow to that drum:

 

I called you this morning, and your Omega answered. I agree with what she said, so I want to acknowledge your recent work. Don’t underestimate yourself, Yu Qing.

 

The words were so formal, they sounded like an official statement.

 

Yet precisely because of this—because Yu Qing knew Liaoliao so well—the message left her stunned. The phrase “your Omega” made her face burn.

 

Yu Qing desperately wanted to explain her relationship with Jiang Nianyu, but Liaoliao had no interest in hearing it:

 

Rest well. I have other matters to attend to. I’m ending the conversation now.

 

Just like every conversation before, Yu Qing’s words hung in the air, unanswered, on Liaoliao’s “Busy” status.

 

A flood of messages poured in, making it even harder for Yu Qing’s already overwhelmed mind to process.

 

She stared at the endless stream of messages from Liaoliao, completely oblivious to the shadow falling across the bed.

 

The ginger-soaked towel slowly and unexpectedly landed on Yu Qing’s back.

 

Before she could react, she was enveloped in lukewarm, damp heat.

 

Jiang Nianyu’s voice drifted down from above, urging Yu Qing to lean back against her. “Who are you chatting with, A-Qing?”

 

“My current supervisor. She told me to rest well…” Yu Qing replied, her voice trailing off into an uncontrollable tremor.

 

As she spoke, Jiang Nianyu’s fingers landed on her back. The damp, soft towel softened the touch, transforming it into a series of gentle taps and strokes across her skin.

 

Jiang Nianyu’s fingers traced patterns across Yu Qing’s back, moving over her shoulder before casually taking the phone from her hand. “If your supervisor told you to rest, why are you still chatting?”

 

“Lie down properly. I’m going to give you a massage,” Jiang Nianyu said calmly, her fingers pressing against Yu Qing’s lower back and tapping lightly twice.

 

In that moment, Jiang Nianyu seemed like a pianist stepping onto the stage, her gown sweeping across the floor as she approached the grand piano at center stage.

 

Yu Qing felt like she was Jiang Nianyu’s piano.

 

She buried her face in the pillow, the heat making her ears flush red, her voice muffled: “Just lie still.”

 

In all her years, this was the first time Yu Qing had been cared for like this while sick with a fever.

 

She was embarrassed to expose her body to Jiang Nianyu, yet she also longed for Jiang Nianyu’s fingers to lift the towel from her back, making direct contact with her skin.

 

Knowing she couldn’t deny her true feelings, even in her feverish haze, Yu Qing’s heart began to race uncontrollably.

 

For a moment, all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

 

She didn’t feel Jiang Nianyu remove the towel from her back, but when Jiang Nianyu’s fingers touched her damp skin, Yu Qing’s heart skipped a beat.

 

She didn’t know where Jiang Nianyu had learned such techniques, but her touch was remarkably professional.

 

Instead of using brute force, Jiang Nianyu worked gradually, her fingers tracing slow, deliberate strokes down Yu Qing’s back, following the contours of her spine.

 

First, her cervical vertebrae, then the long stretch of thoracic vertebrae.

 

Jiang Nianyu’s hand moved in fits and starts, hovering before finally settling on Yu Qing’s waist.

 

There, Jiang Nianyu’s fingers lingered, pressing firmly against the slightly concave skin. The warmth from her fingertips seemed to penetrate Yu Qing’s skin, reaching deep into her nerves and bones.

 

It was impossible to tell whether the sensation came from the ginger’s effects or the heat radiating from Jiang Nianyu’s fingertips.

 

A sudden tingling surged up Yu Qing’s spine. Her nerves seemed to be celebrating, straining and tightening as they pressed against her pounding heart.

 

“Mmm,” Yu Qing groaned, her brow furrowing. Her clammy hand gripped the bed, crumpling the freshly smoothed sheet.

 

She tried to struggle, but Jiang Nianyu’s palm pressed down effortlessly, pinning her beneath her.

 

Sunlight bathed Jiang Nianyu’s gentle silhouette, casting a shadow across Yu Qing’s back. From the shadows to her eyes, Yu Qing felt an invisible sense of control emanating from this woman. “Should we stop if it hurts?”

 

Hurt wasn’t quite the right word.

 

It was more like equal parts pleasure and pain.

 

Having never experienced such a sensation before, Yu Qing felt her body growing hotter and hotter. Every inch of skin touched by Jiang Nianyu’s fingers burned with a fervent heat.

 

This was clearly different from the heavy, listless exhaustion she had felt upon waking.

 

She even resented her own whimpers, which had abruptly interrupted Jiang Nianyu’s movements.

 

The waist that had been trying to evade Jiang Nianyu’s touch stilled completely, no longer shifting restlessly. Seeing that Jiang Nianyu made no further move, it pressed itself against the palm of her hand, like a spineless tail.

 

After all, my pride is worth so little, it’s practically worthless.

 

Yu Qing’s cheeks flushed even deeper than before. She buried her face slightly into the pillow, her muffled voice telling Jiang Nianyu, “It’s okay, continue.”

 

Jiang Nianyu looked down at the small face pressed against the pillow, her restrained fingers twitching slightly. “Then I’ll continue.”

 

Her fingers resumed their movements, the ginger lingering over Yu Qing’s waist.

 

Yu Qing had misjudged the situation; this gentle rubbing was only the beginning.

 

Following the softest part of her waist and abdomen, Jiang Nianyu slowly moved upward, passing again over her thoracic vertebrae and cervical vertebrae. The fingers that had been aligned side by side now separated.

 

After hours hunched over a keyboard, Yu Qing’s shoulders were stiff as stone.

 

Jiang Nianyu noticed this and increased the pressure of her touch.

 

She straightened up, brushed aside the long hair draped over Yu Qing’s shoulder, and continued her massage. As her fingers moved, they occasionally brushed against Yu Qing’s ear, a fleeting, almost imperceptible touch.

 

In that instant, Yu Qing felt every drop of bl00d in her body connect.

 

The smell of ginger wasn’t pleasant, yet Yu Qing sensed a subtle, almost imperceptible fragrance beneath its pungent aroma.

 

On every inch of skin Jiang Nianyu’s fingers had brushed, traces of this scent lingered, seeping into Yu Qing’s limbs and bones.

 

Yu Qing had always believed herself to be a Beta, never considering anything beyond that.

 

Her heart pounded wildly, her fingers trembling faintly beneath the covers.

 

Her damp eyelashes fragmented the day’s light, and no one noticed her increasingly erratic breathing.

 

By the end, she looked as if she had been pulled from water.

 

When Jiang Nianyu withdrew her hand, Yu Qing’s pale waist was exposed to the air, the lingering redness blooming like winter flowers.

 

Jiang Nianyu had intended to ask if Yu Qing felt better, but the scent wafting from her nose trembled slightly.

 

She lowered her head sharply and saw Yu Qing’s flushed face, damp hair clinging to her skin, and eyes misty with emotion.

 

Jiang Nianyu couldn’t resist cupping Yu Qing’s face, pressing her lips lightly against her ear. “A-Qing, you look more like an Omega now.”