The Scumbag Who Bowed for Money (GL , ABO) - Chapter 17
Her illness worsened along with the rain. All I could do was hold her gently and try to comfort her. As for marking her, that was another matter altogether.
Le Shi tossed and turned restlessly in her sleep. Xie Yuanwei, who was never a deep sleeper to begin with, woke up as soon as the Omega moved.
“Le Shi?”
Xie Yuanwei quickly pushed herself up halfway. The moment her hand touched Le Shi’s face, she realized something was wrong. She was burning up.
Le Shi felt like a furnace. Xie Yuanwei gasped and stood up to find her phone, but before she could grab it, Le Shi weakly caught her arm and stopped her.
“Don’t call anyone,” Le Shi said. Her mind was already cloudy. She barely had any strength in her hand, and her voice was just a whisper. “No one else can know. Come closer.”
Xie Yuanwei paused for a few seconds. In the end, she let go of the phone and leaned down as Le Shi asked.
Le Shi’s breath was so hot that it felt like it could burn her skin. Xie Yuanwei clenched her fists silently, saying nothing.
“I know my condition. There’s a vial of medication in my bag. Help me inject it into my gland.”
Xie Yuanwei froze for a moment, her expression serious. She got up, found the medication, and when she saw the length of the needle, she let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
She walked back and held the vial up to Le Shi in the dim light. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, “Are you sure it goes into the gland?”
Le Shi’s hair was soaked with sweat. She opened her eyes slightly and confirmed after a few seconds, “Yes, that’s the one.”
Then the Omega gathered her strength, turned around, and exposed the gland on the back of her neck to Xie Yuanwei.
An Omega trusting an Alpha like this made Xie Yuanwei unsure whether to feel heartbroken or helpless.
Her breathing grew heavier, and there was a hint of frustration in it. She gently moved Le Shi’s hair aside and saw the swollen, reddened gland on her neck.
It was the most delicate spot for both Omegas and Alphas. Le Shi had always said she wasn’t good at biology. Xie Yuanwei now realized that what she had imagined was quite different from reality. Over the past couple of days, she had quietly been studying up on it and learned just how fragile an Omega’s gland was.
Xie Yuanwei was afraid.
Le Shi had pheromone addiction. The doctor had said her gland would be more sensitive to pain. The needle was long and thick. Just holding it made Xie Yuanwei’s hand feel heavy. She could only imagine how much it would hurt Le Shi.
“Isn’t there any other way?” Xie Yuanwei asked quietly, her voice filled with helplessness.
Le Shi was barely conscious. After thinking for a while, she finally whispered, “Just do it.”
When the needle pierced her gland, Le Shi didn’t make a sound. Xie Yuanwei slowly injected the blue liquid, and the moment it was done, she immediately held Le Shi in her arms. The scent of pheromones filled the entire room completely.
She gently calmed her down.
As Xie Yuanwei cupped Le Shi’s face, she noticed the tears streaming silently down her cheeks. Her eyes were glossy, and the tears slid from the corners without a word.
“Does it hurt?” Xie Yuanwei wiped the sweat from Le Shi’s face and gently brushed away the tears at the corners of her eyes. “Why are you crying?”
Le Shi stayed in her arms quietly for over ten minutes. After regaining a little strength, she mumbled, “It hurt a little. I couldn’t hold back the tears.”
Xie Yuanwei sighed softly. Her hand slid down Le Shi’s back. Looking at the empty vial, she lowered her voice and asked, “What was this medicine for?”
“It’s not a suppressant, is it?”
Le Shi remained calm. She leaned her head on Xie Yuanwei’s shoulder and rested her arms across her. She answered, “It’s a strong medication to stop my condition from getting worse.”
Xie Yuanwei tightened her hold without saying a word.
Le Shi didn’t seem to notice and continued quietly, “I’ve had episodes like this before. The symptoms suddenly get worse, and this medicine helps stop it from progressing.”
“What are the side effects?”
Le Shi thought for a few seconds before replying, “It shortens my life. It speeds up the disease’s progression. The medicine only suppresses it for a while, and when it comes back, it gets worse. It’s a vicious cycle.”
Xie Yuanwei looked confused and asked, “But doesn’t my pheromone help you feel better?”
Yes. The entire room smelled of green tangerine and peach, mixing together.
“This cycle follows a pattern, like once every three months. Actually, ever since I met you, it’s been delayed for a long time.”
Xie Yuanwei gently pushed Le Shi away and stared at the Omega. After a long pause, she asked in a whisper, “It’s not enough, is it?”
Le Shi didn’t respond. She was silent for a few seconds before getting out of bed and heading into the bathroom. Just before closing the door, she said, “Change the bedsheets.”
“Alright.”
Xie Yuanwei let out a silent sigh. She lowered her head and sat on the bed, staring at the empty vial. Her vision started to blur.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help. It was that Le Shi didn’t want her to.
The Omega didn’t spend long in the shower. She didn’t have much strength left. As soon as Xie Yuanwei finished changing the bedsheets, Le Shi came out.
Xie Yuanwei quickly walked over. She didn’t reach out to touch her, but stayed close by her side. She asked softly, “Are you still in pain?”
Le Shi shook her head gently, but the exhaustion in her eyes couldn’t be hidden. Her face had lost all color, and she looked even more drained than before.
Xie Yuanwei couldn’t imagine how Le Shi had managed to survive all these years. Had she really watched her life slip away little by little?
Le Shi lay back in bed. The tips of her wet hair soaked the pillow slightly. She played with a few strands, twirling them around her fingers. Her voice was slurred and sleepy. “Let’s sleep. I’m so tired.”
Maybe she couldn’t control her tone anymore. Her words sounded soft and clingy, dragging at the end like she was seeking comfort.
“Good night.”
Xie Yuanwei lay down beside her and gently tucked the blanket around her. As soon as their pheromones mixed, Xie Yuanwei felt herself growing restless. She glanced at the clock. It was one in the morning.
But she didn’t feel sleepy at all.
Just as she was about to put away her phone and force herself to sleep, a new friend request popped up on the screen.
She opened it. The moment she saw who it was, her expression turned grim.
Bai Zhiqu had added her.
Xie Yuanwei wasn’t surprised that she had her contact information. After all, the former version of herself had flirted with people close to Bai Zhiqu. She had probably been waiting for a chance to contact her.
Xie Yuanwei accepted the friend request anyway. She had just sent an emoji when the other person messaged her immediately.
Bai Zhiqu: Can’t you just leave Le Shi alone?
Xie Yuanwei felt a subtle discomfort. The way Bai Zhiqu phrased it made her sound like some kind of villainous Alpha forcing herself on someone.
She didn’t bother replying with too much. Honestly, she still felt uneasy about interacting with Bai Zhiqu. After all, she was the original main character. Xie Yuanwei had stubbornly changed the direction of the plot, and she had no idea what kind of consequences might follow.
More importantly, Le Shi needed her right now. Xie Yuanwei didn’t want to see the people around her end up like they did in the novel’s ending.
She turned over in bed and looked at Le Shi for a moment. Once she was sure she was fast asleep, she gently pulled the Omega’s hand out from under the covers. Le Shi’s hand was soft and beautiful, her fingertips faintly pink. The more Xie Yuanwei looked at it, the more she liked it.
Still, she didn’t dare move too much. She carefully laced her fingers with Le Shi’s, slowly raised her hand into a perfect angle under the warm light, then immediately lifted her phone and snapped a photo. With one hand, she sent it off.
Xie Yuanwei: [Image.JPG]
Bai Zhiqu: …
That reminded Xie Yuanwei of something. Listening to the calm rhythm of Le Shi’s breathing beside her, she forgot to let go of her hand. She simply held it there on top of the blanket, then typed with one hand.
Xie Yuanwei: I might be late tomorrow. President Le isn’t feeling well.
Bai Zhiqu: Should I call a doctor?
Xie Yuanwei: No need. We can handle it ourselves.
There was no reply for a few minutes. Then finally came the message:
Bai Zhiqu: I hate lovesick people. Especially you. Going to sleep.
Xie Yuanwei raised an eyebrow and muttered under her breath, “Then hate me if you want. I really don’t care.”
A voice suddenly came from behind her.
“What are you talking about?”
Startled, Xie Yuanwei jolted and turned around awkwardly. It was only then that she realized she was still holding Le Shi’s hand.
“Uh…” Her mind raced. She tried to think of a good excuse. She couldn’t just say she took a photo for Bai Zhiqu and then forgot to let go. That would sound way too weird.
Le Shi opened her eyes slightly. She didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she held on even tighter. Calmly and unhurried, she reached out and said, “Phone check.”
Xie Yuanwei struggled a little but then obediently handed over her phone. She heard Le Shi give a cold laugh while reading her chat with Bai Zhiqu. A second later, she heard the Omega say,
“Xie Yuanwei, how childish are you?”
“Very childish,” Xie Yuanwei admitted honestly. She tried to pull her hand back, but Le Shi didn’t loosen her grip.
Le Shi asked, “You and Yan Yu haven’t been in touch lately, have you?”
Xie Yuanwei replied, “Not much at all.”
She had already guessed what Le Shi might be thinking, and she let out a silent breath.
Le Shi didn’t press the issue. She returned the phone to her and still didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, she said quietly, “Come closer. I feel a little uncomfortable.”
Xie Yuanwei immediately became alert.
“Are you in pain?”
Without hesitation, she leaned in and wrapped her arms around Le Shi. She gently asked the Omega to let go so she could reposition herself, then carefully offered her arm as a pillow and wrapped the other around Le Shi’s waist. Her hand moved slowly along Le Shi’s back, as if soothing a child.
Le Shi didn’t resist. She even shifted to find a more comfortable position in Xie Yuanwei’s arms.
But Xie Yuanwei started to feel a bit overwhelmed. The Omega’s pheromones were too strong. It felt like the medication had made them harder to control.
She was truly restless. Even when she closed her eyes, she couldn’t calm down. Now that they were even closer, it only got worse.
It was unbearable.
In the end, she chose to wake Le Shi. She called the Omega softly, and thankfully, she wasn’t fully asleep yet and responded in a daze.
Xie Yuanwei took a deep breath and leaned down.
“President Le, could you try to tone down your pheromones a little? I think I’m about to suffocate.”
Le Shi’s eyes flew open. She met Xie Yuanwei’s innocent and sincere gaze, and her face flushed red instantly.
Xie Yuanwei grinned.
“Wow.”