After Little Sweet Omega Runs with the Ball - Chapter 14

Regarding the promotion offer, Song Shuangtian firmly declined.

Afraid that Ji Mingxue might bring up the topic again, Song Shuangtian made sure to leave early every day with Cui Yu for work, leaving Ji Mingxue alone in the dorm.

Cui Yu: “I heard President Ji came here for an inspection?”

As Cui Yu spoke, Song Shuangtian instinctively tugged her collar higher, covering the scattered red marks beneath.

Cui Yu sighed, “I wonder what could possibly be here that would make President Ji travel all this way for an inspection.”

Song Shuangtian: “…”

The wind on the Gobi Desert was fierce, capable of stirring up not just yellow sand but also tiny, sharp stones from the ground. Before long, a particularly jagged pebble, carried by the wind, grazed Song Shuangtian’s cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood.

After two weeks at Western Mine No. 3, Song Shuangtian had fully adapted to the climate.

She signed her name at the bottom of a document, closed the folder, and handed it to Manager Wang.

“I’m planning to head back tomorrow. If there’s any remaining work, let me know now.”

Manager Wang’s eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled. “Here’s the production report for the past month. I heard the group needs it to finalize the sales plan.”

Just as Song Shuangtian reached for the document, Manager Wang tightened his grip. She tugged twice but couldn’t pull it free.

She looked up at him, puzzled. “Manager Wang?”

The office had no windows in fact, it was located ten meters underground.

The overly bright fluorescent light overhead emitted an unsettling heat.

Manager Wang leaned closer and whispered, “The deputy general mentioned in yesterday’s meeting that there might be someone from ST Group lurking around here.”

Song Shuangtian: “!”

Manager Wang immediately released his grip, allowing her to take the document. “Designer Song.”

The sudden address made a fine layer of sweat break out on Song Shuangtian’s forehead.

Her voice was slightly hoarse. “What?”

No way Song Shuangtian was certain she couldn’t possibly have been exposed in a place like this.

The fluorescent light was too harsh, casting long, exaggerated shadows.

Manager Wang stood in the shadows, his expression half-lit, half-dark. Song Shuangtian stood directly under the light, but instead of feeling warm, she was chilled to the bone.

Manager Wang patted her slender shoulder. “If you encounter anyone suspicious, let me know immediately.”

“If we catch a corporate spy, there’s a 200,000 reward. We’ll split it.”

Song Shuangtian: “…”

She smiled perfectly. “Sure.”

200,000?

Ji Mingxue, who did she think she was dealing with??

In the dormitory.

Lu Xing scratched her head, restless.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

“If you’ve got nothing better to do, go buy a pack of gland patches.”

Inside the bathroom, Ji Mingxue scrubbed a thin piece of fabric, expertly wrung it dry, and hung it up to air.

“Ah, no President Ji, you and that little designer have already gotten to this point?”

In this world, an omega’s chastity was of utmost importance. Even a temporary mark wouldn’t lead to that.

Ji Mingxue frowned. “What are you thinking?”

Lu Xing wore an expression that said I know exactly what’s going on. “Not to be rude, but that little designer is an orphan, buried in student loans, with no one to rely on in this world. Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

Lu Xing was all too familiar with workplace unspoken rules, but her recent interactions had made her acutely aware that Song Shuangtian was a person of remarkable talent.

Talented individuals shouldn’t be shackled by pheromones, nor should they be forced to retreat from the professional world into the confines of a secluded domestic life.

When Lu Xing suddenly advised Ji Mingxue, the latter finally grasped her implication.

“It’s just a temporary mark.”

The alpha glanced at the fabric hanging by the window. “She forgot to wash it after changing this morning, so I’m helping out.”

Lu Xing: ???

Lu Xing: Am I the one who’s lost it, or has the world gone mad?

If anyone had sharp enough hearing, they would’ve detected the sound of something shattering inside Lu Xing’s heart.

By the sink, Ji Mingxue held a cigarette between her lips, her fingers idly tracing the Hetian jade bracelet on her wrist.

Ever since meeting Song Shuangtian, the number of times she’d thought of that woman had multiplied exponentially.

The woman who had introduced her to the world of jewelry design, who had written her a recommendation letter for prestigious schools when she was still young.

Among that woman’s belongings left behind in France was a book about lesbians.

Even now, Ji Mingxue was still fucking wondering, if she hadn’t stumbled upon that book, maybe she would’ve ended up liking men.

Ji Mingxue flicked her lighter, igniting the cigarette. The nicotine soothed the restlessness in her heart.

Perhaps it was a lack of maternal love.

For as long as Ji Mingxue could remember, her family had always been too busy too busy to spend time with her.

But that woman, as her tutor, had ample time to teach her piano. She would bring out an old black velvet box filled with gemstones of every color, rewarding Ji Mingxue with one whenever she answered correctly.

From snippets of conversation, Ji Mingxue learned that the woman had a child the same age as her. She envied that child deeply.

So much so that she would secretly watch the woman video-chat with them.

“Tch.”

Ji Mingxue stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in the sink, the sizzle loud in the quiet. She tossed the butt into the trash. For some reason, memories of the past kept resurfacing.

The more she interacted with Song Shuangtian, the more inexplicably that woman came to mind.

And the more that happened, the harder it became to resist showing Song Shuangtian favoritism.

“President Ji?”

Lu Xing adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose. “What about these documents on your desk?”

Ji Mingxue barely glanced at them. “Leave them. Song Shuangtian can look through them.”

Wasn’t the little omega insisting on checking her workload before granting a temporary mark?

It wasn’t like they were confidential projects anyway let her see.

Lu Xing: “…”

“But, that’s against protocol.”

Ji Mingxue frowned impatiently. “Like you said, she’s just a parentless, rootless little lover. No need to take it seriously.”

The boss remains blissfully unaware of her own simp tendencies.

When Song Shuangtian returned, she was greeted by stacks of folders piled on the coffee table.

Ji Mingxue tilted her chin. “These are today’s signed documents.”

Clearly, the nicotine hadn’t suppressed her craving for pheromone, if anything, it acted like an activator, aggravating the alpha’s long-starved instincts.

Song Shuangtian: “I can look at these? That’s against protocol.”

Ji Mingxue’s brow furrowed. “We’re returning to headquarters tomorrow. I’ll approve a week’s leave for you there are a few friends I’d like you to meet.”

Song Shuangtian naturally wouldn’t refuse. She casually brought it up, “Manager Wang mentioned today that there’s a spy from ST Group mixed in with us?”

The bedroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The response to Song Shuangtian’s question was a forceful embrace.

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“…”

It has everything to do with me.

The alpha, teetering on the edge of reason, pinned the omega onto the coffee table, forcing her to look at one signed document after another.

Page after page,

Her fingers coiled around the pearl necklace on Song Shuangtian’s neck, tightening it loop by loop.

“President Song, what do you think? Have I been diligent in my work?”

Though an alpha in a position of power, she used honorifics toward a mere omega employee. Her greedy gaze lingered on the already bitten gland on Song Shuangtian’s neck.

The ostensibly respectful words carried a teasing edge that burned the skin with humiliation.

“Be good, and I won’t bully you today.”

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