Even though Jiang Yi was reluctant, for her own sake and others’, she had to withdraw from school. The doctor advised Jiang Qionghua to prepare for Jiang Yi to study at home for the next few years. Upon hearing this, Jiang Qionghua immediately hired a tutor.
When Jiang Yi learned about this, she didn’t even want to pretend to study anymore!
Life was too cruel. Sick and still having to study—what kind of demons were her guardians?
Moreover, the glass room at home wasn’t ready yet, so Jiang Yi was stuck in the hospital. She began to realize that not having to go to school during school years was actually a terrible thing.
The day after Jiang Qionghua completed the withdrawal procedures, her little gang, backpacks in tow, came to visit. Leading this group of Alphas was Jiang Sixian.
That evening, bored out of her mind, Jiang Yi was doing sit-ups on the ward floor. Just as she finished, the doorbell rang. Assuming it was the nurse, she jumped up and ran to the door.
She yanked it open and froze, seeing Jiang Sixian standing there in a duffel coat, backpack clutched before her.
Jiang Sixian, seeing her in disheveled hospital garb, flushed and slightly disheveled, also paused. But she quickly recovered, explaining, “Your friends said they’d arranged to visit, so I brought them.”
Jiang Yi mumbled, “Oh, thanks. Come in.”
Behind Jiang Sixian, the little monitor and the others stood in a neat row. As the door opened, the four Alphas behind Jiang Sixian collectively took a step back.
Zhang Tiantian, the tallest, had the strongest reaction. She stumbled back two steps, frowning. “Jiang Yi, you’re scary.”
Jiang Yi was baffled. “How am I scary?”
The little monitor clarified, “Your pheromones are too strong. We can’t handle it. Go back inside, quickly.”
“Let’s go in first!”
Jiang Yi, realizing the issue, ushered them inside and quickly shut the door.
The air filters inside were constantly working to extract her pheromones, making it slightly better than direct exposure. Even so, the little monitor and the others huddled near the door, keeping their distance.
Jiang Yi was exasperated. “Is it really that bad?”
The little monitor sighed. “We don’t want to be like this, but your pheromones are too strong. It’s like… like being on a high mountain with thin air. We can’t breathe.”
Jiang Yi frowned. “What a strange analogy.”
Jin Duolai smiled shyly. “It means your scent is too strong. We’re the same gender, so if we haven’t adapted to each other’s pheromones, it can be a bit… physiologically uncomfortable.”
Jiang Yi sighed. “I don’t want to be like this either. Fine, I’ll stay away from you guys.”
She started walking towards the glass enclosure.
Just as she was about to enter, the little monitor stopped her. “Wait, wait, just stay away from us. We’ll adjust in a bit.”
Chen Wanzhou agreed. “Yeah, that room looks so depressing. We don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Jiang Yi, actually not wanting to go in either, asked again, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
The little monitor waved her hand dismissively. “We’re fine, it’ll pass.”
Jiang Yi sighed. “Alright, then I guess you’ll have to suffer a bit.”
She gestured for them to sit on the sofa, while she pulled a chair into a corner.
With five Alphas in the room, even though Jiang Sixian couldn’t smell Jiang Yi, she was still affected by the other Alphas’ pheromones. Not used to their scents, she waited until they were settled, then turned to Jiang Yi. “I’ve brought your friends. Chat with them. I’ll go back now.”
Jiang Yi finally dared to look at Jiang Sixian. Honestly, she was grateful to Jiang Sixian for rescuing her from that chaotic scene, but now, seeing her, she felt embarrassed.
She scratched her face awkwardly. “Thanks, Jiang Sixian.”
She didn’t call her “Xianxian-jie” anymore, reverting to their initial formality. Jiang Sixian clutched her backpack tightly. “You’re welcome.”
Jiang Yi no longer wanted to dwell on why Jiang Sixian had stopped her from accepting that confession. Some things were pointless to overthink. It was better to just let them be.
She’d come to terms with the situation.
Looking at Jiang Sixian, she said, “Be careful on your way back. Sister Xiao Qin will be bringing me dinner soon. You can ride with her.”
Jiang Sixian still remembered Jiang Yi’s almost accusatory tone that night. So now, hearing her slightly concerned voice, she froze.
She looked at Jiang Yi intently. “Mm, I will.”
Jiang Yi, still slightly worried, added, “Let someone know when you get home. It gets dark early in winter. Be safe.”
Jiang Sixian nodded. “Okay.”
They only exchanged a few words, but the four friends on the sofa stared intently at them, only daring to speak after Jiang Sixian left the ward. “Jiang Yi…”
Jiang Yi turned to them. “What?”
The little monitor looked at her with concern. “How are you feeling? Any aftereffects?”
Jiang Yi shook her head. “I feel fine. But as you can see, the aftereffect is I can’t go to school.”
The little monitor nodded understandingly. “That can’t be helped. Your pheromones are truly overwhelming. Even now, so far away, with all these air filters, we still feel pressured.”
“You have no idea how much chaos you caused that night. Every Omega present, except Jiang Sixian, went crazy for you.”
“I don’t know how such a delicate Omega like Jiang Sixian managed to drag you out of that crowd.”
“If it weren’t for her, you’d probably have been sucked dry by those Omegas.”
Hold on, “sucked dry”? What a terrible way to put it. Are they saying she’d be drained of her essence?
Jiang Yi gave the little monitor a disdainful look. “Jiang Sixian has way more stamina than you, fake Alpha. Don’t forget, she won first place in the 800-meter race.”
The little monitor sighed. “That’s true. She’s incredibly strong.”
She looked at Jiang Yi curiously. “What did it feel like being carried by Jiang Sixian out of that crowd? Did you feel even a little bit moved?”
Jiang Yi was momentarily speechless. Chen Wanzhou, sitting beside the little monitor, smacked her on the head. “Are you stupid? If an Alpha likes an Omega, why would she prevent them from smelling her pheromones?”
“Jiang Yi’s pheromones were so strong the entire auditorium went crazy, yet Jiang Sixian couldn’t smell them. What does that tell you? It means Jiang Yi sees Jiang Sixian as a sister. It’s a purely platonic relationship. Stop fantasizing and tainting their pure sisterhood.”
Jiang Yi’s emotions were complicated. After Chen Wanzhou finished speaking, she turned to Jiang Yi and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Jiang Yi. I was overanalyzing things earlier and misjudged you. You’re genuinely kind-hearted and sincere. We were the ones being petty and narrow-minded.”
Chen Wanzhou paused, then added, “Jiang Sixian… is a very good older sister.”
Jiang Yi was silent for a moment, then tilted her head and asked, “Is it common knowledge that if an Alpha doesn’t let an Omega smell her pheromones, it means she doesn’t like her?”
Chen Wanzhou looked at her, surprised. “Of course. Omegas are very sensitive. They can tell if an Alpha likes them based on the pheromones they unconsciously release. There’s a scientific basis for this.”
“You always say we Alphas are like peacocks. Well, there’s some truth to that. If an Alpha likes someone, she’ll unconsciously release her pheromones to attract them, like a peacock displaying its feathers.”
After hearing this, Jiang Yi felt a strange melancholy.
She thought Jiang Sixian must know she only saw her as a sister, nothing more. Whether Jiang Sixian liked her or not, she must be heartbroken by now.
But even if Jiang Sixian gave up, would that mean Jiang Yi wouldn’t die?
Death, like birth, was something beyond her control.
Just like in her past life, healthy and carefree, she’d died saving a child crossing the street, hit by a car.
Life was full of unexpected turns and variables. Perhaps, being full of variables was the nature of life itself.
Jiang Yi decided to stop dwelling on it. She shook her head and started talking to the little monitor about other things.
The little monitor, afraid she was feeling down because of her hospitalization, shared some funny stories. But Jiang Yi’s pheromones were too strong, and they couldn’t stay too long. After a while, they said their goodbyes and left.
From then on, the little monitor and the others visited Jiang Yi every few days. The more time she spent with her friends, the more Jiang Yi longed to return to school.
She finally understood how Jiang Sixian must have felt when she injured her foot and didn’t want to stay home. Spending school years with friends on campus was truly a wonderful thing.
With her friends’ company, Jiang Yi endured the difficult semester.
When spring arrived, Jiang Yi moved into the newly renovated glass room at home. From that day on, she felt like Rapunzel, locked away in a tower, isolated from the world.
Besides being allowed in some common areas of the house, Jiang Yi was essentially confined. With few friends, only occasional visits from the little monitor and the others, her days at home were quite lonely.
Moreover, even though she knew Ning Wenying and Jiang Sixian, being Omegas, weren’t affected by her pheromones, she was still afraid of accidents and avoided contact.
In the end, the only person who spent time with her was Jiang Qionghua.
Perhaps Jiang Yi’s differentiation had been so dramatic that it finally awakened Jiang Qionghua’s maternal instincts. After that, she devoted more time to Jiang Yi.
With Jiang Qionghua as her companion, Jiang Yi managed to beat at least fifteen games during that semester at home.
In a blink of an eye, another summer vacation arrived. Jiang Yi spent the second half of her sophomore year at home. And on the last day of summer vacation, she celebrated Jiang Sixian’s seventeenth birthday.
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