After Little Sweet Omega Runs with the Ball - Chapter 24.2

And the more terrifying realization was that, apart from this one instance, Ji Mingxue wouldn’t be able to get even a trace of Song Shuangtian’s pheromones for a long, long time to come.

Ji Mingxue knelt on one knee, silently gathering the scattered petals one by one.

She wrapped them carefully in a handkerchief, one petal, then another, until none were left behind.

When they left the hotel, Lu Xing noticed the car with mud-caked tires from yesterday was already gone.

“Call Song Shuangtian. Tell her ST Group has an important meeting coming up, and her attendance is mandatory.”

Ji Mingxue’s number had long been blocked by Song Shuangtian, leaving Lu Xing as the only way to reach her.

“I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off.”

Lu Xing’s phone was on speaker, and Ji Mingxue clearly heard the blatant rejection in the automated voice.

“Send a text.”

“I’m sorry, you have been blocked by the recipient.”

Lu Xing: “…”

Ji Mingxue: “…”

“Stop being angry. You’ve been fuming the whole way, it’s not good for the baby.”

The more Song Shuangtian thought about it, the angrier she became. By the time she returned to the sanatorium, she was practically bristling like an agitated cat.

“So what if you dreamed about an old flame? It’s not a big deal.”

Yuan Yin wrapped a blanket around Song Shuangtian. She had business to attend to in the capital and was leaving Song Shuangtian in He Yanyan’s care.

“Even I dream about my ex-girlfriend sometimes. It’s just a normal part of dreaming, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Lu Xing: “!”

He Yanyan acted as though she didn’t notice Lu Xing’s stare, merely curling her lips in satisfaction at the alpha’s obvious jealousy.

Song Shuangtian’s expression twisted.

Damn it.

She had dreamed of Ji Mingxue, a wet dream, no less. How the hell was that normal?

Though Ji Mingxue’s face hadn’t appeared in the dream, her unmistakable magnolia pheromones had been enough to seize every shred of Song Shuangtian’s rationality, dragging her deeper into the dream.

Even the sensation of that woman tugging at the necklace around her neck had felt unnervingly real.

Unable to break free, unable to scream.

Yet, miraculously, all the discomfort from her pheromones had vanished.

As if she had truly experienced a thorough, satisfying marking session with Ji Mingxue.

Song Shuangtian had to admit, her body hadn’t forgotten the pleasure Ji Mingxue could bring.

Infuriating.

Absolutely infuriating.

She was so angry she could practically see smoke rising from her head.

Song Shuangtian rapped her knuckles against her temple, forcing herself to stay calm and focus on launching a new brand instead.

From design to the selection of raw materials, and even the brand’s marketing strategy, all of it had to be handled by Song Shuangtian alone, a lone commander.

Let ST Group become a thing of the past.

She didn’t want it anymore.

During her time learning at M Group, she wasn’t just there to acquire high-level strategic insights to expand ST Group’s territory. More than that, she approached it with an attitude of learning.

Her father was like mud that couldn’t be plastered onto a wall, a bastard who knew nothing but throwing his weight around at home, incapable of accomplishing anything.

The heavy burden of development ultimately fell on her, a delicate, pregnant woman.

She couldn’t carry it. Truly couldn’t.

Two months passed quickly. In this small southwestern town, the weather was as comfortable as spring all year round, alternating between rainy and dry seasons.

Song Shuangtian piled a thick stack of documents to the side. Recently, she had become unusually drowsy, and her legs and feet had swollen so much that she could only wear slippers.

The little omega still thought petulantly to herself, if only Ji Mingxue would massage her feet for her.

The way Ji Mingxue would watch tutorials while massaging her feet was actually quite adorable.

Wrapped in her soft fleece blanket, Song Shuangtian reclined in her rocking chair, gazing at the banana tree and the dense clusters of succulents in the courtyard.

Being away from the corporate world was nice.

She didn’t plan on going back. She would settle in this small town, take on work when it came, and spend her free time gardening when there was none.

Retirement life couldn’t be better than this.

“President Ji, we’re expected to arrive at the airport in half an hour.”

The assistant drove Ji Mingxue to the airport. This time, Lu Xing hadn’t accompanied her to the meeting, the headquarters couldn’t afford to be left unattended.

Beside Ji Mingxue lay the meeting materials. This international jewelry industry development conference was being held in a small southwestern town.

The theme of the conference was environmental conservation, and there was no place more fitting than this.

Ji Mingxue lowered her gaze as she placed one inhibitor after another into her travel bag. Along with the inhibitors, she also packed the magnolia brooch that had never left her side these days.

No matter how much pressure M Group exerted on ST Group, even as the stock plummeted and the acquisition process began, Song Shuangtian still hadn’t appeared as if she had vanished from the face of the earth.

Now, Song Shuangtian was ST Group’s largest shareholder. For Ji Mingxue to fully complete the acquisition, she still needed to buy out Song Shuangtian’s shares.

But how could she purchase the shares when she couldn’t even find Song Shuangtian?

As the alpha stepped off the plane, she breathed in the fresh air of this small southwestern town. It was as if the place held a magical power, capable of soothing even the most restless souls.

“President Ji, the driver is already waiting for you.”

Ji Mingxue snapped out of her thoughts. Slowly opening her eyes, she was met with a lush expanse of greenery even the landscaping around the airport was exceptionally well-maintained.

Through one tedious meeting after another, Ji Mingxue wore a flawless business smile. Only when her smile stiffened did the meetings finally come to an end.

“President Ji, the conference ended half a day early. We’ve booked a return flight to the capital for nine tomorrow morning.”

The conference center was far from the city center. Not far from there lay a relatively well-preserved ancient village.

Local residents still lived there, though the area had been developed into a tourist zone, with many now selling the same trinkets found in every scenic spot.

“You can head back to the hotel. No need to follow me.”

The long hours of work had left Ji Mingxue’s nerves tightly wound, but the sight of this lush, vibrant ancient town lifted her spirits considerably.

Alpha strolled leisurely through the old streets. At some point, a light drizzle had begun to fall from the sky,

This rain was different from the one at the cemetery, it was fine, barely dampening her clothes.

She used the contract signed during the meeting as a makeshift fan, casually shielding her head from the rain.

Ji Mingxue wandered through the hazy rain,

The vendors around her didn’t seem bothered by the drizzle at all,

Each wearing a bamboo hat, their faces tanned by the sun, their smiles warm and unpretentious.

Her high heels clicked against the cobblestone pavement as she held a cup of milk tea brewed from dark tea.

The distinct aroma of the dark tea blended perfectly with the milk, slowly releasing a comforting warmth that soothed the soul.

At the edge of her vision was a lake, its surface so vast it seemed like an ocean.

Ji Mingxue found an open-air pastry shop and sat down, two flower cakes placed before her. She settled into a chair nearby, gazing at the distant buildings.

A student nearby was sketching with an easel, and Ji Mingxue, unusually intrigued, stole a few glances.

“What’s that building up ahead?”

The building’s exterior still looked new, adorned with intricate carvings in a Nanyang style. What caught Ji Mingxue’s attention was what appeared to be a helipad on its roof.

“Oh, that? It’s a sanatorium.”

The student, painting in watercolors, had just started university and had a sweet smile. She continued painting as she spoke, “The sanatorium isn’t far from here just a ten-minute walk straight ahead. At night, you can see some of the people from there coming out for a stroll.”

The student shook her head and sighed. “The scenery there is truly something else.”

“Why don’t you go paint around the sanatorium?”

Having worked with jewelry design for years, Ji Mingxue naturally knew how to draw. She picked up the ballpoint pen the waiter used for orders and, on a whim, began sketching on the back of the receipt.

The student gave her a look as if to say, Are you stupid?

“That’s a private sanatorium. I heard the annual accommodation fee alone costs millions. The security is tight ordinary vehicles aren’t even allowed near.”

Ji Mingxue simply nodded without a word. By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, the blank space on the receipt now bore the silhouette of a girl with long hair, wearing a flowing dress.

In the sketch, the girl sat perched on a rock, her toes lightly touching the lake’s surface, where a flower seemed to bloom from the water.

With just a few strokes, she had captured the girl’s essence vividly.

It was Song Shuangtian.

Ji Mingxue set down the pen, momentarily lost in thought.

She folded the receipt neatly and tucked it into her inner pocket.

Two months had passed without any news of Song Shuangtian. Perhaps Ji Mingxue hadn’t searched hard enough, afraid to face her accusations—or worse, the face that so resembled her mentor’s.

She wanted to find Song Shuangtian, yet she was terrified.

Deep down, Alpha knew she had done wrong.

She had taken everything her mentor had painstakingly built, while the former chairman Song was now selling off his assets.

It was hard to say whether the Omega was cold-hearted even as her father and his illegitimate child fell out and he liquidated his fortune, she hadn’t shown up.

After finishing the two flower cakes on the table, the lingering scent of roses clung to her breath.

By now, the rain had stopped. Ji Mingxue stepped out in her high heels and walked toward the rocks by the lake.

As if guided by some unseen force, she bent down to pick the water celery from the lake.

The golden flowers revealed their beauty beneath the surface, and Ji Mingxue’s Hetian jade bracelet dipped into the water.

Her mind preoccupied with other matters, she didn’t notice the moment her fingers brushed against the little yellow flower, the bracelet that had never come loose before silently slipped into the lake. She paid it no mind.

After wearing a jade bracelet for a long time, it becomes one with the body, and in daily life, there’s no sense of it being a foreign object.

It wasn’t until Ji Mingxue boarded the plane and returned to the capital that she realized the bracelet was gone.

M Group’s headquarters was thrown into chaos and immediately contacted local surveillance to track the bracelet’s whereabouts.

Leaving aside the fact that the bracelet was a gift from Song Shuangtian’s mother, the value of that Hetian jade alone was enough to make the local authorities dizzy.

Song Shuangtian, still in the ancient town, was completely unaware of all this.

Before Ji Mingxue noticed anything, Song Shuangtian was taking an evening stroll after dinner, the crimson glow of sunset spilling over her white dress.

“Boss, two flower cakes, please.”

Song Shuangtian rubbed her round, protruding belly she needed one hand to support her back and the other to cradle her stomach just to walk steadily.

She was only a little over a month away from her due date, but the doctor had warned her the baby might come early.

Leaning against the lakeside, Song Shuangtian took a bite of the flower cake, admiring the shimmering ripples on the water as she always did.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a soft, warm glow resting on the waterweed in the lake.

With some difficulty, she bent down and fished it out.

Song Shuangtian: ????

This bracelet looks so familiar???

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