After Little Sweet Omega Runs with the Ball - Chapter 26

As the child grew day by day, a serious problem began to emerge.

Song Shuangtian needed to feed the baby.

Under the guidance of a nurse, Song Shuangtian learned the proper posture for holding an infant. She lifted her collar to let the child have a full meal.

Song Shuangtian: “…”

The little cub wailed at first, but the moment she caught her mother’s scent, she immediately began to giggle.

Guanguan no longer looked like the red, wrinkled creature she was at birth. Now, her little face had become fair and supple, and her eyes, like a pair of purple grapes, stared intently at her mother.

Song Shuangtian’s heart completely melted.

“Eat up, little one.”

Song Shuangtian rubbed the back of the cub’s head with a headache, looking toward the nurse as if pleading for help.

“She won’t eat.”

The nurse guided Song Shuangtian’s movements. “Lift the baby’s head a little higher.”

Forget Song Shuangtian; even Madam Qiu, who had always considered herself half a mother to Song Shuangtian, was a complete blank slate when it came to the matter of nursing a child.

He Yanyan pulled Yuan Yin outside the door. “What are you, an Alpha, doing watching this?”

Yuan Yin’s lips twitched. “I…”

Yuan Yin wanted to say more, but she was silenced by a glare from He Yanyan.

“Did you get the money?”

“Yeah. Ji Mingxue gave it up quite readily.”

A total of five billion, which is enough for this child to live a comfortable life forever.

Standing in the hallway, Yuan Yin felt the urge to light a cigarette. She didn’t know when she had picked up the habit. It seemed she needed nicotine to soothe her nerves whenever she felt agitated, like right now, for instance.

Her best friend was making muffled sounds of pain inside the room.

“Good sister, stop smoking.”

He Yanyan hooked her arm around Yuan Yin’s neck, pulling the Alpha close to her own nape so she could smell her marshmallow-scented pheromones.

The sweet pheromones smoothed over the Alpha’s anxiety.

Yuan Yin said gloomily, “Song Shuangtian must be in a lot of pain.”

“Would it hurt that much if you were pregnant?”

Yuan Yin was, of course, referring to breastfeeding.

The child showed signs of teething. One bite down, and the consequences were unimaginable.

He Yanyan’s eyelashes fluttered, concealing a trace of bitterness in her eyes.

“Naturally, there will be others to bear children for Sister. At the very least, it won’t be me.”

Yuan Yin frowned, gripping He Yanyan’s shoulders firmly. “What do you mean by that?”

He Yanyan shrugged. She wanted to say that she and Yuan Yin weren’t from matching social backgrounds, but seeing the Alpha’s persistent gaze, she hesitated to speak further and finally shut her mouth dejectedly.

“Sister, I said the wrong thing. Don’t be mad. How about a kiss?”

Yuan Yin reluctantly accepted a kiss from He Yanyan.

Consider her mollified, barely.

After finishing the feeding, the light had vanished from Song Shuangtian’s eyes.

An indescribable pain radiated from her most sensitive areas. Every mouthful the child took made Song Shuangtian feel a sudden impulse to throw the cub right off the balcony.

Song Shuangtian: “.”

Song Shuangtian looked at Guanguan with a half-smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re just like your mother; both of you are annoying.”

Guanguan didn’t understand. Full and satisfied, she hooked her tiny claws into Song Shuangtian’s nightgown and fell fast asleep a moment later.

Truly like a little pig, she would eat and sleep, sleep and eat.

Seeing the child asleep, Madam Qiu picked up a small blanket and wrapped the cub up.

“It’s been hard on you, Auntie. Go back and get some rest.”

Song Shuangtian couldn’t hide the exhaustion in her eyes. Fortunately, she was wealthy enough that she didn’t have to worry about anything other than feeding the baby herself. Madam Qiu, untrusting of outsiders taking over completely, had been watching over them and hadn’t closed her eyes much these past few days.

“Alright. You should get some rest early, too.”

The light outside was pleasant. While other cities had already transitioned into winter, this city, where it felt like spring all year round, still had warm breezes blowing outside the window. In the distance grew a white magnolia tree, which, surprisingly for the season, had burst into a large cluster of flower buds.

Song Shuangtian leaned dejectedly against the sofa. The wind blew through the white gauze curtains, casting long shadows, and the scent of white magnolia drifted into her nose on the warm breeze.

Song Shuangtian cursed under her breath.

Countless times she had wanted to smash the white jade bracelet on her left wrist, but in the end, her rationality held her back.

Thinking of how Ji Mingxue had bought all her equity and how she now possessed a massive fortune made her feel slightly better.

Since she had given birth to the child, it was time to start focusing on her career.

But before that, Song Shuangtian’s hand moved to the aching area. What used to be soft was now swollen and painful. It was so uncomfortable.

# Feels like two small papayas #

The little Omega reclined on the sofa, her movements enough to inspire infinite imagination.

Nobody told her it would be like this!

The pure cotton nightgown was now stained. Song Shuangtian was too embarrassed to let anyone else wash it. With a flushed face, she tried to unfasten the dress, but she couldn’t reach the ties behind her back for the longest time.

Having become slightly more curvaceous after childbirth, the Omega sat powerless on the plush carpet, her small face crimson.

So annoying. So uncomfortable.

Even the scent of white magnolia in the air felt wrong, it seemed to be tinged with a hint of milk.

Song Shuangtian couldn’t untie the ribbons, looking like a butterfly trapped in its own cocoon. She was practically like a little dairy cow.

The good news is the baby wouldn’t go hungry. The bad news is the Omega’s mental state was collapsing.

Song Shuangtian looked down at the dripping. Her scalp went numb. With a surge of force, she tore the ribbons, broke them, and hurried to the laundry room, stuffing all the clothes inside at once.

A first-time mother, the little Omega had no idea how to handle this. She clumsily applied nursing pads to her clean nightgown.

Oh, right, she had to disinfect and apply medicine first.

Right after she put them on, she felt a wave of dampness again.

“Dammit, Ji Mingxue, I hate you the most.”

If she ever saw Ji Mingxue again, she would definitely slap her hard in front of everyone.

She would use every method to humiliate and bully her! Make her kneel and beg for mercy! Crush every shred of her self-esteem.

The little Omega’s face was so flushed with shame it looked like it might bleed.

If she were a cat right now, her ears would be pinned back in a “flat-ear” hiss and her fur would be standing on end.

…

Three Years Later

In an office on the 52nd floor of the M Group headquarters.

Lu Xing knocked on the heavy door to Ji Mingxue’s office. “President Ji.”

Over the last three years, M Group had acquired ST Group. Contrary to industry expectations, they didn’t shelf the ST brand. Instead, they ramped up development, overhauled the senior management, and breathed new life into the once-unreliable, teetering brand. Every year, it produced several massive hits that had consumers lining up to buy.

The financial reports grew more impressive each year, putting immense pressure on their competitors.

Yet, the better ST Group performed, the grimmer Ji Mingxue’s expression became.

Anyone familiar with Song Shuangtian’s creative manuscripts during her tenure would know that over 80% of the new jewelry released by ST Group in the last three years were actually Song Shuangtian’s old designs.

This included not only the sketches she drew while “undercover” but also the 3D models and prototypes she had left behind at ST Group.

Those brilliant designs that had been suppressed and rejected by the previous chairman had now found new vitality. They received the love and praise from consumers they truly deserved.

Ji Mingxue: “Still no news of Song Shuangtian?”

Lu Xing sat down naturally in the chair opposite Ji Mingxue. “No.”

Ji Mingxue’s face clearly said, If there’s no news of Song Shuangtian, why are you here?

Lu Xing was well-acquainted with her boss’s volatility. Ji Mingxue had just passed her rut, a time when she missed Song Shuangtian’s pheromones the most.

The big boss had lost the bracelet she’d worn for over a decade, and her wife was gone too.

# Truly Tragic #

Lu Xing pushed her gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her smile was as impeccable as it had been three years ago.

“Recently, a new international jewelry design brand has been making waves. I heard a commoner-born princess in Europe wore a crown from that house at a recent ceremony.”

Ji Mingxue’s eyelids flickered.

Lu Xing pushed a folder toward Ji Mingxue with both hands.

“Reborn?”

“Never heard of it.”

Ji Mingxue had zero interest in so-called “new brands.” “Likely just something cooked up by capital to boost stock prices.”

Lu Xing was a bit helpless against her boss’s indifference. “Take a look at Reborn’s design style first.”

Ji Mingxue reached out and flipped through a few pages until she reached the latest design.

Reborn’s designs utilized a vast amount of natural elements.

The main body of the necklace was white gold. In the center sat a high-quality yellow diamond, surrounded by circles of yellow shapes. Most striking were the emerald vines entwined around the perimeter.

Under the sunlight, these flowers wrapped in green vines possessed an extraordinary, natural beauty. From a distance, they looked like real wild blossoms.

Ji Mingxue’s first reaction was that it looked familiar.

When her eyes fell on the product description, she immediately realized it was something she knew very well: Nymphoides (Water Snowflake).

This plant is almost non-existent abroad; it only grows in lakes with exceptionally high water quality.

Ji Mingxue had seen it more than once in that ancient town in the Southwest.

Flipping to the next page, there was a brooch shaped like a black-headed gull.

Lu Xing rubbed her temples. “So, what do you think?”

Ji Mingxue said directly, “What are you getting at?”

Lu Xing’s smile didn’t fade. “President Ji, don’t you think this person’s design style is somewhat similar to ours?”

Ji Mingxue knew she wasn’t talking about mutual inspiration or plagiarism, but a deeper similarity, for example, the designer’s pursuit of nature as a philosophy.

A complex, deep look flashed in Ji Mingxue’s eyes. “Jewelry designs pursuing environmental themes have always been popular in the international industry. There are plenty of designers skilled in this style; it’s likely just a trend-following piece.”

Ji Mingxue’s voice grew lower as she spoke until only she could hear herself.

Clearly, it wasn’t a trend-following piece.

Ji Mingxue flipped through Reborn’s portfolio: black-headed gulls, dragon blood trees, jacarandas.

One could tell this brand truly loved natural elements, and they were truly not lacking in money.

With high aesthetic standards and deep pockets, plus the patronage of that highly popular European princess, Reborn had sparked a following among the domestic upper class.

Ji Mingxue dropped her dismissive gaze and solemnly examined all the design photos.

“You’re overthinking it.”

Lu Xing didn’t actually believe Song Shuangtian had suddenly started a business either. “If I were Song Shuangtian, I’d probably take that money and find a quiet place to retire.”

Lu Xing acted as though she didn’t notice the depth in Ji Mingxue’s gaze. “By the way, there is one more document President Ji needs to sign.”

Placed before Ji Mingxue was a brochure for a charity project focused on helping children in disaster-stricken areas.

M Group participates in many corporate public welfare projects every year to improve the brand’s tone. Among these, the proportion spent on helping children accounts for more than 50 percent.

No one can refuse a high-end luxury jewelry brand that loves doing charity.

 

Ji Mingxue flipped through the documents. After seeing no problems, she signed her name at the end.

 

There was a recent earthquake in the Southwest. M Group had already donated tens of millions in funds and rescue supplies early on.

 

“I understand. I am free in two days. Arrange for the local media, and I will fly over by private plane.”

 

…

 

Guanguan, who had already grown to be three years old, blinked her bright eyes.

 

“Mama, I want to go out and play.”

 

Song Shuangtian leaned against the back seat of the car, drawing a design sketch.

 

“You are not allowed to go.”

 

Song Shuangtian’s car was passing through the disaster-stricken Li City. This area had recently suffered an earthquake. Although the earthquake had ended, the reconstruction of the disaster area had not stopped for a moment, and there was no telling what dangers might be present.

 

Song Shuangtian had come this time to take Guanguan out for an outing and sketching.

 

A large number of Reborn’s jewelry design prototypes came from the unique flora and fauna of the Southwest.

 

Song Shuangtian snatched the mirrorless camera from Guanguan’s hands. “The camera is expensive, you are not allowed to play with it.”

 

Madam Qiu sat in the passenger seat and looked back. “The child has never seen a disaster area. Let the child go and have a look.”

 

Song Shuangtian frowned. “What if she gets injured?”

 

Madam Qiu smiled faintly. “You don’t want Guanguan to become the spoiled, ignorant child of a wealthy landlord.”

 

Madam Qiu said to herself, “When you were a child, you did many dangerous things like going up the mountains and down to the sea. Once, you insisted on imitating Santa Claus and climbed in from my roof in the middle of the night, only to end up breaking your leg.”

 

Song Shuangtian: “…”

 

An Omega could not bear to hear such things.

 

Song Shuangtian allowed the driver to drive the car to a safe place with great resentment, then let the little cub down to play.

 

Guanguan was a bit afraid at first. Not far away was a temporary settlement specifically for children from the disaster area.

 

The eyes of the children here still revealed panic. They were clearly the same age as Guanguan, but each one wore clothes covered in dust and huddled together.

 

As soon as Guanguan saw children of her own age, she grabbed a handful of snacks and prepared to go over.

 

A guard nearby saw the exquisitely carved little ball running over.

 

“Little friend, you can’t come in here.”

 

Another guard bent down, half-squatting on the ground, and said in a softened voice, “Little friend, where is your family?”

 

The guards looked at each other. Looking at Guanguan’s appearance, she didn’t look like someone who had just been dug out of the ruins.

 

Looking at the black sedan parked not far away, they understood in their hearts.

 

Madam Qiu stepped out of the car gracefully and took out her credentials from her handbag. “We have an appointment to come for a charitable donation.”

 

Madam Qiu had lived in the Southwest for a long time. She had driven to see every inch of this land.

 

A large amount of Reborn’s design inspiration came from this land. Naturally, there was no reason to only take without giving back.

 

The guards’ expressions moved, and they made a path. Madam Qiu waved her hand, signaling Song Shuangtian to follow.

 

Little Guanguan had short arms and legs and could only follow behind the adults. A nanny nearby bent over and carefully picked Guanguan up.

 

The little cub waved her arms and legs. “I want to make friends.”

 

In the midst of her movements, the snacks Guanguan was holding scattered all over the ground.

 

“Let the child play by herself for a while.”

 

Song Shuangtian lifted Guanguan from the nanny’s arms to the ground with one hand.

 

The nanny was terrified by Song Shuangtian’s actions. “How can you lift the child by the collar? What if she suffocates?”

 

The nanny was too embarrassed to say that the way Song Shuangtian lifted the child was like lifting a bag of rice.

 

Guanguan: “…QAQ”

 

Song Shuangtian: “.”

 

Little Guanguan stood in place and watched the adults leave. The surroundings were filled with staff and army soldiers who had come to assist. There was no place safer than here.

 

Like a little penguin, little Guanguan trotted over to the children of her age and took a fruit hard candy wrapped in cellophane from her pocket.

 

“Can I make friends with you?”

 

The little girl opposite Guanguan had a dirty face, and there was a bloody cut under the corner of her eye. At this moment, the blood had solidified, leaving only a dark red patch.

 

“Is your mother dead too?”

 

As soon as the little girl spoke, the staff nearby fell into silence.

 

It was just too blunt.

 

But it was also heart-wrenching.

 

In Guanguan’s three years of life, the role of a “mother” had never appeared. She always called Song Shuangtian “Mama,” and Mama had told her that she did not have a mother.

 

She was a child born to a female Omega and a female Alpha.

 

“My mother is dead!”

 

Little Guanguan nodded very certainly.

 

The little girl took the fruit candy from Guanguan’s hand, and the two little girls sat closely together.

 

Guanguan asked again, “Am I your friend?”

 

Guanguan had been traveling on business with Song Shuangtian for the past three years. When they were not on business, they would return to the nursing home, where there were almost no children of the same age.

 

“Yes.”

 

The little girl carefully put the fruit candy in her mouth, and the sweet candy spread through her oral cavity.

 

Outside the temporary shelter.

 

Ji Mingxue saw a round little bean sprout walking into the shed from a distance.

 

The guiding staff member nearby introduced appropriately, “The front is the temporary residence for underage girls.”

 

A hint of pity appeared in the staff member’s eyes. “Most of the children living here have lost both parents. We have professional staff who conduct psychological intervention for the children every day.”

 

Ji Mingxue: “That child just now was…”

 

The Alpha was wearing a rather low-profile khaki trench coat today. There was no visible brand on her body, but this low-profile outfit somehow made her look high-profile.

 

The Alpha’s body proportions were excellent. Coupled with her serious expression and her meticulously combed long hair, even standing in the ruins, she was the focus of everyone’s attention.

 

The staff member only saw the shadow of Guanguan ducking into the tent. “Probably a child who ran out to play.”

 

“Ran out to play?”

 

Ji Mingxue saw the clothes the child was wearing from a distance. It seemed to be children’s clothing from a certain high-end custom brand.

 

Lu Xing said, “That outfit of hers is not cheap.”

 

The staff member was not clear about these things. “They are probably clothes donated by some charitable people. We distribute them directly to the children after inspection and disinfection.”

 

Ji Mingxue nodded, accepting this explanation.

 

Under the guidance of the staff, Ji Mingxue stood outside the tent.

 

The tent was not soundproof, and the conversation between Guanguan and the little girl by the door reached the ears of the people outside without missing a single word.

 

“Is your mother dead too?” “My mother is dead!”

 

Ji Mingxue’s heart was suddenly tugged hard by something unknown.

 

The cold wind brushed against her cheeks, feeling as sharp as a knife at this moment.

 

The Alpha lifted the curtain and saw the little girl in beautiful custom clothes sitting cross-legged on the ground with another girl. The high-end children’s clothing that had been so glamorous just now was now covered in a layer of dust. Little Guanguan’s face was smeared with dirt, making her look like a little calico cat.

 

Little Guanguan lay sprawled on the ground, the candies in her pocket scattered all over.

 

She felt around and took out a candy covered in mud, about to peel off the wrapper and stuff it into her mouth.

 

Suddenly, a hand stopped her.

 

Ji Mingxue half-squatted. “Things that fall on the ground are dirty and cannot be eaten.”

 

A look of heartache that Ji Mingxue herself had not noticed appeared in her eyes.

 

Little Guanguan was too endearing. Her exquisitely carved doll-like face was stained with dust, her shoes were covered with a layer of yellow mud, and her grape-like eyes carried the cleverness appropriate for her age.

 

Ji Mingxue was not someone overflowing with compassion. She came here more to promote the company’s charitable actions, which was equivalent to buying a reputation with money.

 

But seeing this scene of the child, Ji Mingxue’s heart ached.

 

Such a beautiful little doll, with no parents and no one to rely on, was eating candy stained with mud.

 

“Lu Xing, you go talk about the donation. I will arrive before the press conference at three in the afternoon.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Lu Xing looked back at the child. She always felt the child looked a bit familiar.

 

Ugly children are all different, but beautiful children look the same. This child belonged to the kind that was “beautifully similar.”

 

Good-looking children all have similarities, so Lu Xing did not take it to heart.

 

Ji Mingxue, as if possessed, used a handkerchief to wipe the stains off Guanguan’s face.

 

“What is your name?”

 

“Guanguan.”

 

Ji Mingxue didn’t hear clearly. “What?”

 

“Guan as in a jar. My mama said before that if she couldn’t give birth to me, she would turn into a ceramic jar. Later, she felt I looked like a gas canister.”

 

“So, everyone calls me Guanguan.”

 

Ji Mingxue and the staff were amazed by the child’s name.

 

Ji Mingxue was worried the child would be wary, so she did not ask for her formal name.

 

The staff member saw that Ji Mingxue seemed disconnected from the common world and explained in a low voice, “A humble name makes for a hardy life. The children in this area all have nicknames that aren’t very pleasant.”

 

But calling her Guanguan was too perfunctory. To think she was actually a “gas canister.”

 

This child was fair and tender, her arms as white as lotus roots. How did she look like a gas canister?

 

Ji Mingxue: “What will happen to these children in the future?”

 

The staff member replied, “They will probably be sent to the welfare home or opened for adoption.”

 

After Song Shuangtian left, Ji Mingxue had no plans to get married. If she could adopt a child, it would be for the best.

 

Her pheromones were very special, and she could hardly find an Omega with a high match rate. Except for Song Shuangtian, Ji Mingxue had not felt any fondness for any Omega’s pheromones in the past three years.

 

These three years had been as bland as the previous twenty-odd years, with no feelings for the opposite sex.

 

Ji Mingxue’s lips moved. She wanted to adopt this child.

 

Who can explain the mystery of an instant connection? With a successor, she would have an explanation for her mother and her mama.

 

The staff member looked at the child and found it more and more strange. “The child’s name is not on the registry.”

 

Out of fifty-three children, there was actually an extra one!

 

The staff member’s pupils shook with shock.

 

Not far away, after Song Shuangtian finished the donation procedures, she ran over to find the child. From a distance, she saw Ji Mingxue standing there!

 

Song Shuangtian: “!!!”

 

Her fists tightened.

 

This woman! She actually intended to steal her ceramic jar!

 

She didn’t suffer any of the pains of childbirth, yet she wanted to take the child away.

 

In her dreams.

 

The Omega’s face turned from blue to red with anger. If there weren’t people around, she would have picked up a stone and thrown it over.

 

Song Shuangtian thought to herself: I must give the child anti-abduction lessons. She can’t be so foolish as to let a bad person wipe her little face.