The two of them hugged across the rabbit plushie for a long while before Jiang Yi loosened her embrace slightly and asked, “Jiang Sixian, had enough hugging?”
Jiang Sixian rubbed her face against the plush bunny, wiping away her tears before looking up at Jiang Yi with glistening eyes. “Not enough.” Nothing would ever be enough—she wanted to hold her for a lifetime.
Jiang Yi noticed the tears in her eyes and immediately tensed. She reached out, using her thumb to wipe away the damp traces on Jiang Sixian’s cheeks, her voice tinged with panic. “Why are you crying?”
Jiang Sixian shook her head, tilting her face up with a soft smile. “Because you gave me a gift. I’m happy.”
Ah, just a stuffed animal from a claw machine could move her to tears? Just how much did Jiang Sixian love her?
Jiang Yi gazed at her through the pink bunny’s plush fur and asked quietly, “Is this the first gift I’ve ever given you?”
Jiang Sixian noticed her wording—not “Jiang Yi,” but “I.”
She shook her head and replied, “No. The giant panda in my room was the first gift I ever got from you.” She paused, then emphasized, “A birthday gift.”
Jiang Yi stiffened, suddenly recalling what had happened in that room that night. No wonder the panda had been saturated with Jiang Sixian’s scent. No wonder she hadn’t minded lying on top of it.
So it had been from her all along.
Jiang Yi was puzzled. If that was the case, why hadn’t Jiang Sixian explained it? Then it occurred to her—Jiang Sixian probably knew her stubborn temperament well enough to realize that even if she had said something at the time, Jiang Yi wouldn’t have believed her. Worse, she might have later convinced herself that it was just more “proof” of being a replacement.
The thought made Jiang Yi cringe. In some ways, she really was a twisted, prideful, insufferable creature.
She was about to say something when her stomach growled loudly.
She hadn’t eaten all day, and only now, seeing Jiang Sixian, did she realize she was starving to the point of stomach pain. Jiang Sixian heard the sound and glanced down at Jiang Yi’s abdomen, her eyes still damp.
Jiang Yi, embarrassed, explained, “I had dinner early. I’m a little hungry now. Can I order some late-night food?”
Jiang Sixian looked up at her and said, “Delivery will take too long. Let’s drive out to eat.”
Jiang Yi nodded. Jiang Sixian set the bunny down and told her, “Wait a moment. I’ll change, then go with you.”
Jiang Yi blinked in surprise, watching as Jiang Sixian turned and headed to the walk-in closet to change.
She emerged wearing a light-colored hollyhock dress with a dark trench coat draped over it. Taking Jiang Yi’s hand, she said, “Let’s go.”
Jiang Yi thought she looked breathtakingly beautiful, unable to tear her eyes away as she followed Jiang Sixian out of the house in a daze, belatedly murmuring, “Oh…”
Jiang Yi drove while Jiang Sixian sat obediently in the passenger seat, scrolling through a food delivery app. “What do you feel like eating?” she asked.
Knowing Jiang Yi hadn’t eaten all day, she assumed she’d want something substantial.
Jiang Yi gripped the steering wheel and said, “Hot pot.”
Jiang Sixian’s fingers stilled. She turned to look at her. Jiang Yi blinked back and asked, “Do you mind?”
Jiang Sixian shook her head, smiling. “I like hot pot too.”
Relieved, Jiang Yi pulled up directions to a well-known hot pot restaurant and parked at the mall.
They walked side by side into the restaurant.
It was already late at night, and the lively bustle of the hot pot place had mostly died down. Even without a reservation, they managed to snag a table.
They sat in a corner, and as soon as they were seated, subtle glances began drifting their way.
Several alphas in the restaurant were openly staring at Jiang Sixian. She was simply too striking—like a diamond, shimmering under attention the moment someone laid eyes on her.
Jiang Yi didn’t like the way those people were looking at her, so she released a hint of her pheromones, enveloping their little corner in her scent.
The other alphas, repelled, quickly averted their gazes, no longer daring to glance at Jiang Yi or Jiang Sixian.
Only then did Jiang Yi relax, flipping open the menu. “Can you handle spicy food?”
“A little.”
Jiang Yi ordered a split pot—one side spicy, the other mild—then asked Jiang Sixian about her dietary preferences before finalizing their order.
The hot pot arrived quickly. After dividing the ingredients between the two broths, Jiang Yi fished out a slice of beef from the spicy side and placed it in Jiang Sixian’s bowl. “Try it.”
Through the steam rising between them, Jiang Sixian hesitated, picking up the beef and taking a small bite.
The sharp sting of spice spread across her tongue. Jiang Sixian’s brows furrowed as she chewed carefully.
Jiang Yi noticed her expression and asked, “What’s wrong? Too spicy?”
Jiang Sixian set down her chopsticks and whispered, “Spicy.”
As a native of Yuncheng, her palate leaned toward sweeter flavors—she wasn’t accustomed to spice.
Jiang Yi laughed, pouring her a glass of water and pushing it toward her. “So when you said ‘a little,’ you really meant just a little.”
She made a mental note: from now on, cooking would require two separate flavor profiles. Jiang Sixian couldn’t handle chili at all.
Jiang Sixian sipped her water, nibbling at her food as she watched Jiang Yi devour the spicy broth. With a slight frown, she asked, “Doesn’t it burn your mouth?”
Their household had always favored lighter Yuncheng flavors—something like hot pot had never been on the menu before.
Jiang Yi glanced up. “It’s fine. This broth is actually pretty mild. Spicy hot pot tastes the best.”
Jiang Sixian studied her. “You really like it?”
Jiang Yi nodded. “Eating hot pot with friends is the best way to bond.”
Jiang Sixian’s heart skipped. Eagerly, she volunteered, “I… I could do that too.”
Jiang Yi chuckled. “Just stick to the tomato broth. No need to force yourself.”
As she spoke, she scooped meat from the tomato base into Jiang Sixian’s bowl. “When I first joined the military, during team-building events, I couldn’t handle spicy hot pot either.”
Truthfully, in her past life, she’d been able to eat it just fine. But after being raised in Yuncheng by her mother, her tastes had grown much milder.
Jiang Sixian looked up, surprised. Since their reunion, unless she asked directly, Jiang Yi never spoke about her past. That she was bringing it up now was unexpected.
Jiang Yi smiled, dropping shrimp paste into the pot as she continued, “Just like you, I ate from the tomato side. There was this alpha—a little older than me—who teased me for being delicate, calling me a spoiled young miss who couldn’t even handle spice.”
Jiang Sixian nibbled on her meat, lifting her gaze. “And then?”
Jiang Yi replied, “Then I drank a whole bowl of spicy broth right in front of her and challenged her to a physical endurance test. She lost, and after that, no one ever laughed at me again.”
The military was fiercely competitive. In Jiang Yi’s unit, every soldier was an alpha with high pheromone concentrations. Jiang Yi had been the most intimidating of them all, but because she was young and new, the others had instinctively tried to put her in her place.
Whether through physical training or verbal jabs, they came at her from every angle. At first, Jiang Yi hadn’t wanted to stir up trouble, but once pushed too far, she’d fought back with a vengeance.
That time, she and the alpha who’d been targeting her had each downed a bowl of broth before competing in endurance drills, leaving the other woman half-dead by the end.
The alpha had been bedridden for a full day afterward, while Jiang Yi had only suffered stomach pain for one night before recovering.
But from then on, she’d been able to tolerate spicy food.
Jiang Sixian was delighted just hearing this snippet about Jiang Yi’s military life. Her eyes sparkled as she praised, “Jiang Yi, you’re amazing.”
She sounded like a lovestruck girl cheering on her partner—innocent and utterly endearing.
Jiang Yi flushed, mumbling, “I’m not amazing.”
Jiang Sixian pressed on. “You are. Was the physical training in the military very tough?”
Jiang Yi hadn’t expected the question. Shyly, she admitted, “It was alright.” The instructors had treated them like dogs—as long as they didn’t die, they were pushed to their absolute limits.
Jiang Sixian was deeply curious about those six years of her life. Before, she hadn’t asked, afraid Jiang Yi might resent the intrusion. But now that Jiang Yi had brought it up herself, she seized the opportunity. “I heard you had to run marathons. Was that an everyday thing?”
Jiang Yi answered readily. “Unless something came up, endurance training was daily. There was also marksmanship practice, teamwork drills, and so on.”
She shared a few amusing anecdotes, and by the time they left the restaurant, Jiang Sixian’s eyes were still bright with laughter.
Jiang Yi led her out of the mall, her own happiness overflowing at the sight of Jiang Sixian’s joy.
Standing halfway down the steps, she looked up at Jiang Sixian, her eyes shining as she said, “Jiang Sixian, there’s something else I want to tell you.”
Jiang Sixian seemed to sense what was coming. She gazed down at Jiang Yi, her heart fluttering nervously. Not blinking, she whispered, “Go on…”
Jiang Yi tilted her head up and began, “I—”
Before she could finish, a rowdy child came barreling out of the mall, taunting his parents as he sprinted straight toward Jiang Sixian.
Afraid Jiang Sixian would be knocked over, Jiang Yi quickly grabbed her arm. “Careful!”
The sudden movement made her step onto a slick patch of ground. Her foot slipped, and she yanked Jiang Sixian backward with her as she lost her balance.
Jiang Yi reacted instantly, wrapping an arm around Jiang Sixian’s waist and pulling her flush against her body as she stumbled down the steps.
But just as she steadied herself, her foot landed on a loose pebble. The shift in weight sent both of them tumbling backward.
The sensation of freefall seized Jiang Yi’s body. As she fell, she could have sworn she heard the roar of rushing water in her ears.
In that moment, all feeling left her limbs. She couldn’t stop herself from falling.
With a thud, Jiang Yi’s body hit the pavement hard. Lying on the cold ground with Jiang Sixian in her arms, her consciousness began to slip away.
Her head throbbed, but her hands and feet felt icy.
Faintly, she heard someone calling her name: “Jiang Yi… Jiang Yi…”
Ah, it was Jiang Sixian’s voice…
Jiang Sixian… her Jiang Sixian…
Jiang Yi’s mind was a haze. Somewhere in the fog, she thought she saw a glint of steel in the darkness.
A woman with a vicious sneer pointed a knife at her, snarling, “You’re the one who ran. Once I deal with you, I’ll go find that omega…”
“The young miss must taste delicious.”
Jiang Yi clenched her fists, glaring back defiantly. By the rushing river, she sized up the woman and growled, “If you’re still an alpha, then come at me…”
She was provoking her. Even after beating a beta bloody and being covered in wounds herself, she kept pushing.
She knew that for her and Jiang Sixian, this alpha was the real threat. She couldn’t let her reach Jiang Sixian unharmed…
She knew she wouldn’t die here. That was why she was calmer than ever.
As long as she remembered Jiang Sixian was waiting for her, she wouldn’t be afraid.
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