After Dissing The Aloof Omega In A Talent Show - Chapter 6

Ming Tang only snapped back to reality when a voice sounded in her ear.

Still dazed, she asked, “What? What’s strange?”

Qiao Xiangshu, chewing on a quail egg, wagged a finger in front of Ming Tang’s face.

“See? You didn’t even notice it yourself.”

Ming Tang looked at her with the expression of a humble student seeking guidance. “Tell me.”

Qiao Xiangshu said meaningfully, “According to my incomplete records, in the time I’ve been watching you, you’ve spaced out at least three times. And… every single time was because of Chi Ling.”

“Every time because of Chi Ling. Come on, fess up. You always told me you didn’t agree with Huayin’s methods, was it actually because you were already a fan of Chi Ling before joining the company?”

“Huh?”

Ming Tang was choked up, not expecting the conversation to take such a turn.

“Could it be that you infiltrated Huayin and endured all that hardship just to gather evidence of their crimes for Chi Ling?”

Ming Tang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Where are you getting all this?”

“Oh, don’t be shy. Why act bashful with me?” Qiao Xiangshu patted Ming Tang on the shoulder like a “bro.” “Just say it. As your best comrade in arms, I don’t just understand you. I support you.”

Seeing Ming Tang’s expression, Qiao Xiangshu became even more serious: “Besides, I can help you chase your idol! Being close to the target gives you the advantage, don’t you get it?”

That last sentence hit Ming Tang right in the heart.

“With a great resource like me, you should be laughing your way to the bank,” Qiao Xiangshu continued to herself.

“You mean, since you and Chi Ling are both in Class A, I can use the excuse of visiting you to see Chi Ling?”

Qiao Xiangshu said as if it were obvious, “More than that! Who knows, Chi Ling and I might even be assigned to the same dorm.”

Ming Tang spoke with feigned gravity: “Qiao Xiangshu, can you please not frame yourself as the type of person who would bring a sasaeng fan into her teammate’s room?”

Qiao Xiangshu’s mouth twitched. Just by looking at her expression, Ming Tang knew she only “recalled” a middle finger at the last second out of respect for the public setting.

“I’m so kindhearted, please don’t ruin my chances of a clean debut, okay?”

Ming Tang shrugged and gave a frank, curving smile.

Regardless of everything else, having Qiao Xiangshu around should make her future “tasks” a bit easier.

She wondered what kind of ridiculous task the system would come up with next, something that would undoubtedly make things difficult for both her and Chi Ling.

“Didn’t you say controversy brings heat?”

“But this level of controversy is starting to affect my professional career.”

Seeing Qiao Xiangshu’s deadpan face, Ming Tang let out a laugh.

“Qiao Xiangshu, I still remember what you told me.”

It was Qiao Xiangshu’s turn to be stunned. “What?”

“I’ll do my best to catch up.”

Qiao Xiangshu immediately beamed. “Fine. Then your idol and I will be waiting for you to see who you can kick off the stage.”

Ming Tang kicked her under the table. “You should worry about keeping your mouth shut first.”

The dormitory assignment list was already posted at the entrance of the building.

The Class A dorms were on the top floor, while Class F was on the first floor.

Upon hearing this “tragic” news, Qiao Xiangshu wailed, “Ming Tang, can I swap with you?”

“Not a chance,” Ming Tang shook her head. “This is a matter of destiny. I can’t help you.”

Qiao Xiangshu got anxious. “How is it destiny?”

“Alphas are assigned separate rooms. Omegas and Betas can share,” Ming Tang patted Qiao Xiangshu’s shoulder in a perfect imitation of her earlier gesture, her expression full of mock pity. “My hands are tied.”

Qiao Xiangshu: “…”

“Alright, just wait. Once I drop my bags in my room, I’ll come back and help you carry yours up.”

“I knew you were the best, Tangtang!”

Hearing Qiao Xiangshu’s exaggeratedly cloying voice, Ming Tang felt a chill of disgust and rubbed her arms.

“Stop it. You’re giving me goosebumps.”

Qiao Xiangshu tried to double down on the annoyance, but Ming Tang cut her off.

“Say one more word I can’t stomach, and I won’t mind letting you handle those two suitcases up to the fifth floor alone.”

“Don’t, Ming Tang!” Qiao Xiangshu waved her hands frantically, showing her sincerity. “If I didn’t have you, it would be like a chicken foot losing its soft bone!”

Ming Tang closed her eyes and turned away helplessly. “Thanks for the affirmation. Next time your throat itches, I’ll remember to buy you a chicken foot to scratch it with.”

Ming Tang scouted for her room number. After pushing her suitcase inside and greeting the roommates she would be living with for the foreseeable future, she hurried back to the lobby to find Qiao Xiangshu.

She hadn’t just read the dormitory guidelines, which specified that Alphas could only room with those of the same second gender while Betas and Omegas were allowed to mix, she had specifically checked the list for Qiao Xiangshu’s roommate. It was indeed Chi Ling.

She wanted to see Chi Ling again. If she had truly said something wrong earlier, she wanted to apologize directly.

Sure enough, when Qiao Xiangshu saw her, she immediately waved excitedly.

“Guess who my roommate is?!”

“Chi Ling.”

The smug look on Qiao Xiangshu’s face instantly collapsed. “How do you know?”

“I’m not the type to have a total breakdown just because I saw my floor was too high.”

“You…!” Qiao Xiangshu was about to erupt in speechless fury, but when she saw Ming Tang already rolling up her sleeves and lifting the heavy suitcase, her attitude shifted instantly to flattery. “Ms. Ming Tang, your kindness is immense. I shall never forget it!”

Watching Qiao Xiangshu’s sycophantic act, Ming Tang rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Fine. Who told you to bring two suitcases to a show anyway?”

Ming Tang gestured for Qiao Xiangshu to take the smaller suitcase.

“I didn’t expect the floor to be so high or that we’d have to carry them ourselves. Besides, my hormones have been acting up lately. I really couldn’t leave my skincare and medicine behind.” Qiao Xiangshu sighed heavily, following Ming Tang with the suitcase. “In times like this, I really envy you Alphas and Omegas.”

Ming Tang found it funny. “Envy what? By all accounts, you Betas have much more stable hormone levels.”

Qiao Xiangshu “tched.” “That’s where you’re wrong. You guys have heat cycles and rut periods, but outside of those few days, you’re very stable.”

“Even if your levels fluctuate, once they hit a threshold, your special biology kicks in. Unlike us Betas, when our hormones go haywire, we just have to drink medicine. Chinese herbal medicine is literal torture.”

Ming Tang looked at her with pity and a hint of helplessness. “You’re completely ignoring the costs of suppressants, scent-blocking patches, and the discomfort of those ‘special periods.'”

Qiao Xiangshu gave a sheepish grin. “Heh heh…”

“You go open the door. I won’t go in.”

Ming Tang set the heavy suitcase down, shaking out her strained arms to catch her breath. She didn’t even need to think to know that the heavy suitcase was packed with all the jars and bottles Qiao Xiangshu insisted on taking everywhere.

“Ming Tang, it’s so good to have you… I finally understand the sense of security a ‘Butch’ gives when she comes to the rescue in a gay bar.”

Ming Tang felt like giving the teary-eyed, mock grateful Qiao Xiangshu a kick.

“Chi Ling, are you in?”

Qiao Xiangshu pushed the door open and called out a greeting, but there was no response from inside.

Dragging her one large and one small suitcase in, Qiao Xiangshu looked around before sticking her head back out to look at Ming Tang with a regretful face. “A pity. Your goddess isn’t here right now.”

Ming Tang had heard enough of Qiao Xiangshu’s teasing about her and Chi Ling. She neither confirmed nor denied the title, simply nodding in understanding.

“Okay. I’ll head down then. Bye.” Ming Tang turned, ready to go back to her room to unpack.

“Bye! Thanks again!”

According to the schedule, the trainees were to gather in their respective practice rooms at 1:30 PM sharp after a short lunch break.

Before dismissing them at noon, the mentors had explained today’s plan, the primary focus would be learning the program’s theme song.

Although Ming Tang memorized movements quickly, actually performing them was a struggle.

She could handle it step by step, but the moment the entire dance was performed to music, she would become clumsy and frantic.

Ming Tang couldn’t explain why, but this issue had been deeply apparent since her time at the company. Her dance teacher had focused on and corrected her for two years with no improvement.

Her peers, teachers, staff, and even teammate fans thought her presence at Huayin was bizarre. How could someone like her stay at the company for so long without being kicked out?

As Ming Tang’s thoughts drifted while she walked downstairs, her nose caught a faint scent, pulling her out of her messy memories.

Following the drifting aroma, she looked over the railing and saw Chi Ling, who had been absent from the room earlier.

Chi Ling’s slender, well-defined hands were currently gripping a suitcase handle, the blue veins slightly protruding as she lifted it. A plastic bag from a convenience store hung from her thin wrist, rustling as she moved.

“Let me help you.” Ming Tang walked quickly to Chi Ling and took the suitcase from her.

Chi Ling’s suitcase was much lighter, it felt like it only contained a few changes of clothes.

“Hmm?” Chi Ling hadn’t expected to run into Ming Tang here, let alone have her suitcase snatched away without a word.

The indescribable scent grew a bit stronger. Ming Tang’s gaze brushed over the back of Chi Ling’s neck, where she saw a square, white scent-blocking patch.

Realizing her behavior was impolite, Ming Tang quickly looked away.

“Sorry, Senior…”

“Just call me Chi Ling,” Chi Ling pursed her lips and repeated.

She stepped up two stairs to stand on the same level as Ming Tang.

“I forgot something… so I left early to go to the convenience store,” Chi Ling said softly.

Ming Tang replayed the words in her head twice before realizing Chi Ling was explaining her sudden departure earlier.

Ming Tang gave a dry acknowledgment before asking, “Will you be okay for this afternoon?”

Chi Ling: “I’ve taken a suppressant. I’ll be fine after a little rest.”

Ming Tang pushed the suitcase to the door and was about to knock when her wrist was caught by icy fingertips.

Ming Tang turned back to find Chi Ling’s eyes clouded with a misty haze.

Chi Ling paused, her voice low and slow: “You’re an Alpha, aren’t you?”