After Little Sweet Omega Runs with the Ball - Chapter 34

“What did you say? Song Shuangtian, say that again.”

Madam Qiu, who had just undergone heart surgery, sat up abruptly in her sickbed while clutching her chest. As she moved, the various tubes connected to her body emitted a series of worrying noises.

Song Shuangtian lowered her head. “Auntie, Guanguan’s mother is Ji Mingxue.”

“You mean that blonde?”

“Ji Mingxue isn’t a blonde.”

Madam Qiu closed her eyes for a moment. She found it hard to accept. As Song Shuangtian spoke, she began breathing heavily, looking as though she might succumb to oxygen deprivation.

Song Shuangtian began to regret her honesty. She shouldn’t have confessed the identity of Guanguan’s mother even under her aunt’s repeated questioning. She kept her head down, peeling an orange.

“I told you before, Auntie, that Ji Mingxue has a proper job.”

The person in control of the M Group, how much more “proper” could a job get?

Madam Qiu remained in disbelief, her eyes fixed intently on Song Shuangtian, trying to discern from her face whether this was a joke or the truth. Song Shuangtian kept her eyes downcast, looking like a pitiful, weak little Omega.

She truly did look quite miserable.

“Did she force you?”

Song Shuangtian was silent for a moment. “Back then, I thought I was an Alpha. I wanted to mark her.”

The ward fell into a deathly silence once again.

Madam Qiu pinched the bridge of her nose hard. “You and your mother are exactly the same.”

Song Shuangtian expected her aunt to scold her, to get so angry that a doctor would have to be called for a sedative, or perhaps even throw the vase from the nightstand at her.

Instead, she asked, “My mother?”

Song Shuangtian sat on the caregiver’s chair and leaned forward, not understanding why her aunt suddenly brought up Qiu Tingnan. “What about my mother?”

Madam Qiu’s face bore the pale frailty of illness, her long hair falling gently over her shoulders. She neither opposed the relationship nor said anything to hurt Song Shuangtian.

She simply stated the facts: “After your mother gave birth to you, she went to France for work. She met Ji Mingxue’s family there and maintained a good relationship with her parents. While serving as a professor at the design academy, she also acted as Ji Mingxue’s tutor. Perhaps ‘godmother’ would be a more fitting term.”

“Your mother was Ji Mingxue’s mentor.”

Madam Qiu looked at Song Shuangtian with heartache. “You should probably know what that implies.”

Madam Qiu began to regret bringing up Song Shuangtian’s mother so suddenly.

Song Shuangtian’s pupils contracted sharply. So, my mother abandoned me and ignored me just to accompany Ji Mingxue as she grew up?

But Ji Mingxue clearly had parents of her own; why couldn’t she give my mother back to me?

A dull pain throbbed in Song Shuangtian’s heart. She still clung to a final shred of hope. “So, did Mom go abroad because she didn’t like me and Dad?”

Madam Qiu met this with silence.

The truth no longer required a detailed explanation.

Song Shuangtian had long known that her parents’ marriage had no emotional foundation. It was half a business alliance and half because her father had marked her mother during her heat. Her mother’s family was extremely traditional; once an intimate encounter occurred, she had to marry him.

The two families were well-matched; there was no reason not to unite. As for her mother’s own feelings, they simply weren’t important.

“But,” Song Shuangtian said “but” several times in a row.

But Song Shuangtian had already given birth to Ji Mingxue’s child.

Song Shuangtian had already given Guanguan to Ji Mingxue, even if it was only temporary.

Madam Qiu raised a thin, frail arm and placed her hand on Song Shuangtian’s head. “Things have come to this. You like Ji Mingxue, don’t you?”

Song Shuangtian fell silent for a moment.

She didn’t know if she liked Ji Mingxue. Perhaps Ji Mingxue was merely a stepping stone for her to climb higher, but if that were all, how could she feel at peace handing Guanguan over to her?

Having reached this point, even Song Shuangtian didn’t know how to distinguish her feelings.

“Did my mother like Ji Mingxue more?”

Song Shuangtian’s fingers rested on her pearl necklace, one of the few things her mother had left her.

Aside from the ST Group, which had already become a trophy in Ji Mingxue’s pocket. That group, named with the initials of her own name, seemed to be one of the few expressions of love Qiu Tingnan had for her daughter.

Madam Qiu couldn’t answer the question; it ultimately dissolved into a sigh.

“Perhaps your mother was simply escaping from you and your father, and so she projected her love for you onto Ji Mingxue.”

“Tiantian, I have seen Ji Mingxue. She is a good child.”

“When will you bring her to see me?”

Song Shuangtian responded with a forced smile. She didn’t know how she managed to leave the ward, but she eventually found herself standing in the overly wide corridor.

Outside the window, the white magnolias were still in bloom, their large white buds revealing tender yellow stamens inside.

Song Shuangtian couldn’t change what had happened in her past, and she had long since let go of her obsession with parental affection.

Yet, Ji Mingxue had repeatedly tugged at this necklace her mother gave her to mark her. It was so unfair. That Alpha already had everything, yet she still came to snatch away the few things that belonged to her.

Song Shuangtian covered her face with both hands and crouched on the terrace.

The breeze, unique to this small southwestern city and scented with flowers, brushed against her. The Omega sobbed quietly, her suppressed whimpers so faint they seemed to dissolve into the wind.

If this bitter emotion turned into a breeze, she wondered if it could blow to the other shore, to her mother’s side.

Large tears struck the ground. The Omega’s shoulders shook, and her heart felt like a rubber band stretched to its limit. Once released, the pain was terrifying.

On the other side, in the Capital.

Ji Mingxue lay on the sheepskin sofa of her villa, drenched in sweat.

She spent most of her time at the M Group headquarters, where she had a suite on the top floor. But now that she had a child, she needed a larger living space.

“Mother?”

Guanguan sat obediently on the plush carpet, hugging her milk bottle and looking at her mother with wide eyes. “Mother is sweating a lot.”

It was the rut again.

Ji Mingxue frowned deeply, gulping in the cold, fresh air. Her eyes were bloodshot.

Empty suppressant syringes were scattered across the floor. Ji Mingxue forced a sliver of rationality. “Guanguan, let Mother be alone for a while, okay? Don’t play here.”

As Ji Mingxue spoke, she pushed herself up to pick up the scattered syringes one by one, afraid they might prick Guanguan’s delicate skin.

Guanguan’s brow furrowed in worry. “I won’t bother Mother. I’ll be super good.”

Ji Mingxue gave a light smile, but it probably looked more painful than a sob, making Guanguan even more worried.

Eventually, the little Jar obediently went to the garden to play with the villa’s butler.

Once the little White Jade Ball left, Ji Mingxue collapsed back onto the sofa.

A rut could only be managed with suppressants or by enduring it. Since the suppressants were failing, she had to use her willpower to resist the Alpha instincts surging from deep within her body.

In the past, Ji Mingxue would have certainly gone to Song Shuangtian, but she knew she couldn’t right now.

The Alpha endured the pain radiating from every bone and stumbled into the bathroom. She turned on the cold water.

She didn’t even take off her clothes. The icy water cascaded down from her head, trailing over her neck, spine, and thighs.

After soaking for over half an hour, the restlessness in her body was slightly soothed.

Ji Mingxue emerged from the bathroom drying her hair, carrying a chill with her. Winter was approaching, but the Alpha didn’t feel the cold. She stood by the window in just a bathrobe, unaware that her skin was turning red from the frost.

“Oh dear, President Ji! President Ji, please close the window quickly. What if you catch a cold?”

The butler was frightened out of his wits upon seeing this. The two Chairpersons were out of the country, and President Ji rarely returned to the villa. As a butler, he had nowhere to direct his concern, but now that President Ji had brought a child back, he was naturally focused with 200% intensity.

The cold wind had turned Ji Mingxue’s face slightly red. Not wanting the butler to worry, she closed the stained-glass window.

“What is it? If you’re asking who the child’s mother is, you’ll find out later.”

The butler hesitated. “The child…”

Ji Mingxue frowned and looked over, only to see that the White Jade Ball had turned into a Chocolate Ball.

Ji Mingxue was speechless.

The butler’s face wrinkled with concern. “The young lady slipped into the flower beds when I wasn’t looking. That mud mixed with the melted snow, it’s so dirty.”

The butler distressedly tried to wipe the Chocolate Ball’s plush coat with a handkerchief. The clothes didn’t get clean, but the handkerchief was completely ruined.

The little ball’s face was also covered in mud. If you didn’t know better, you’d think she had come from a different continent.

Ji Mingxue suppressed the pain in her bones. She didn’t mind the mess and slung her cub over her shoulder.

“Go prepare a change of clothes. I’m taking this Mud Jar to have a bath.”

Ji Mingxue finally understood why Song Shuangtian hadn’t given her a prettier name. Wasn’t she exactly a Mud Jar?

“Mother’s lips are so white. Are you terminally ill?”

Ji Mingxue replied, “I’m fine.”

This child really knew how to talk.

Guanguan had originally intended to bite her mother’s neck a few more times today to vent for her Mama, but seeing her mother’s lips looking even whiter than Grand-Auntie’s, she suddenly didn’t dare. If something happened to her Mother from a bite, then Guanguan really wouldn’t have a mother left.

“Come, lift your arms. Let’s get these clothes off.”

Guanguan obediently lifted her chubby little arms. Ji Mingxue bent over to pull off the coat that used to be white and fluffy. The soaking wet coat was still dripping muddy water, the white having turned into chocolate brown.

An earthworm even crawled out from the folds of the coat.

Ji Mingxue was stunned.

Ji Mingxue couldn’t fathom how this Jar managed to fall so perfectly into the flower beds. It was ridiculous.

“Stay away from the greenery and flower beds on snowy days, do you hear me?”

Ji Mingxue tested the water temperature first, then pointed the showerhead at the Jar’s mud-covered hair.

“Oh,” Guanguan chirped.

Ji Mingxue asked, “Did you hear me?”

Guanguan turned her little face to the side.

If it were Song Shuangtian, she would have brought out a clothes hanger by now, but her mother clearly had no intention of scolding her. So, Guanguan simply acted as if she hadn’t heard.

Ji Mingxue’s forehead throbbed.

Before she could say anything else, Guanguan pressed a mud-covered little paw against her waist.

A paw print appeared.

Ji Mingxue was shocked!

Ji Mingxue’s blood pressure soared.

But this little ball was her own cub.

Unlike Song Shuangtian, Ji Mingxue couldn’t bring herself to give the “Jar” a beating when she lost her patience. She closed her eyes with difficulty for a moment.

“Yes, baby is very creative.”

A certain educational expert once said: children who love to perceive the world with their hands will not be too dim-witted.

The pretty baby originally thought her mother wouldn’t be able to resist hitting her. Just as she lifted her head to radiate an angelic smile, she saw her mother gently wipe away the muddy paw print on her waist.

There was no intention of hitting her.

Guanguan widened her eyes in disbelief. Her mother clearly looked a bit fierce, yet she was actually gentler than Mama.

Guanguan was very obedient throughout the entire bath. Ji Mingxue couldn’t help but feel worried. She had heard that two or three-year-old children loved to run and jump around, screaming at the slightest inconvenience; this wasn’t a sign of disobedience, but rather the child not knowing how to express discomfort. However, her child was sensible to a fault.

She was perfectly still while her hair was being washed. When shampoo accidentally touched her eyes, she didn’t cry or make a fuss; she simply looked at Ji Mingxue with red eyes, using a chubby finger to point at the foam in the corner of her eye.

“Mother, I’m uncomfortable.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, baby, just bear with it for a second.”

Ji Mingxue panicked completely. She immediately wiped the foam from Guanguan’s eye with a clean towel and rinsed it with warm water. Ji Mingxue was frantic and fearful; even when facing the most complex jewelry designs, she had never been this clumsy or ill at ease.

Which one was the shampoo? Which was the body wash? And which one was the moisturizer?

To maintain a uniform decor, all the bottles and jars in the house used identical packaging. Ji Mingxue could only test them one by one on herself first.

By the time the hot bath was over, Ji Mingxue was breathless from the exertion. She was currently in the most difficult stage of an Alpha’s rut; not only did she lack the company of an Omega, but she also had no effective pheromone suppressants. She had to endure the pain just to bathe the child.

Ji Mingxue had no complaints. Instead, when she saw the “Chocolate Ball” turn back into a “White Jade Ball,” she let out a long sigh of relief. This gave her a greater sense of achievement than completing a project worth hundreds of millions.

The “Mud Jar” was successfully refurbished into a “White Jade Ball.”

Ji Mingxue was drenched in a nervous sweat. Ignoring her need for rest, she immediately set out to wash the child’s inner layers of clothing. The coat could be handed over to the nanny for dry cleaning, but Ji Mingxue decided to hand-wash the thermal shirt, leggings, and socks.

The sound of scrubbing thermal wear was something that almost never existed in Ji Mingxue’s past life.

The butler’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor upon seeing this. “President Ji, let me handle these menial tasks.”

Good heavens, had President Ji ever even used laundry detergent? If it wasn’t rinsed properly and caused a skin condition, what then?

“No need.”

Although Ji Mingxue’s movements were unfamiliar, they were meticulous. she scrubbed, rinsed, and wrung the clothes out over and over again. The butler finally put his heart at ease.

This precious, high-status Alpha had only ever washed inner garments for Song Shuangtian.

After finishing all this, Ji Mingxue was so exhausted she could hardly straighten her back. She looked at the clothes hanging in the air and felt a strong sense of pride in her heart.

Turning back to her little cub, she saw that the child was already obediently building Lego on the carpet. The Lego spaceship was half-finished, and the other half was just around the corner.

She was so good; she didn’t shout or act headstrong.

The spark that had just lit up in Ji Mingxue’s eyes faded back into silence. Her child was too well-behaved. In a child’s growth, the companionship of both parents is very important.

Ji Mingxue walked over in her slippers and sat opposite the cub. “Shall Mother help you build it?”

“Okay!”

Guanguan knew that Mother wanted to play with Guanguan. She wasn’t a stingy little Jar. Guanguan obediently placed a large pile of Lego pieces, sorted by color, next to Ji Mingxue. Guanguan was very polite!

“Guanguan is so impressive. Other children don’t know how to build Lego.”

Ji Mingxue had interacted with children of the same social class; just to play with Lego toys, parents would specifically hire several Lego teachers to guide the child. But her cub didn’t need a special teacher; she could patiently build it herself.

Guanguan lifted her face innocently. “Do other children not know how to build it?”

Ji Mingxue nodded. “That’s why our pretty baby is the smartest!”

“I don’t know, because I haven’t played with other children before.”

In kindergarten, there wouldn’t be such complex Lego; at most, they just stacked building blocks and played games together. For the clever Guanguan, it was quite boring.

Ji Mingxue’s hand paused as she reached for a Lego piece. She almost forgot that her child had no companions of the same age. In her interactions with the child, Ji Mingxue’s heart was constantly being stabbed unexpectedly.

“In the future, will Mother play with you?”

“Okay!”

Ji Mingxue pushed back all her afternoon meetings to focus on playing with the fragrant White Jade Ball. Ji Mingxue handed the assembled pieces to Guanguan, letting Guanguan attach them to the main body herself.

“Did Mama used to play with Guanguan?”

“She used to, but not anymore. I don’t want Mama to play with me.”

Because Mama would compete with her to play with the Lego! Because Mama had money, Mama would buy the Lego toys she liked and then build them while looking for inspiration. She would even snatch Guanguan’s Lego to play with!

Guanguan was young and couldn’t earn money; she could only play with the Lego Mama had left over. Even the various snacks Auntie Yuan bought for her would be half-eaten by Mama, under the beautiful pretext of not wanting Guanguan to get cavities.

Ji Mingxue’s heart was stabbed again. How could a child not want to play with her mother? Ji Mingxue knew Song Shuangtian raised the child exceptionally well and wasn’t a mother who would abuse her child.

There was only one possibility: Guanguan was too sensible. Guanguan was worried about affecting her mother’s work. After all, Song Shuangtian needed to support the child on her own. The early stages of any startup are very difficult. During her questioning, Ji Mingxue heard Guanguan say that Song Shuangtian had been hiding from someone (actually hiding from Ji Mingxue).

Could it be loan sharks? Ji Mingxue hadn’t found any record of Reborn owing huge debts. Then it could only be that Song Shuangtian personally owed money.

“Baby, can you tell me where Mama is? Mother has something to discuss with her.”

“I don’t know.”

Last night, Mama called and reminded her again not to tell Mother where she was. She said if Guanguan could complete the task, she would give Guanguan ice cream—a whole entire ice cream! Guanguan listened to Mama the most.

# Pain, it is truly too painful #

That evening, as expected, Guanguan, who had been playing in the snow, developed a fever. By the time Ji Mingxue discovered it, the child’s small face was completely flushed. Although the private doctor came to prescribe medicine and brought the high fever down, Guanguan was still moaning in discomfort.

Ji Mingxue frowned and pulled this “Strawberry Ball” into her arms. Guanguan kept coughing; she would cough the moment she lay down, a heart-wrenching sound. Ji Mingxue could only sit at the head of the bed, holding the Strawberry Ball in her arms so she could sleep in a semi-seated position.

This persistence lasted for several nights. Everyone at the M Group headquarters noticed that Ji Mingxue had become much more exhausted.

Lu Xing asked, “President Ji, has there been a big problem with the company lately?”

Ji Mingxue was catching up on sleep in the conference room. Halfway through the meeting, the person in charge had fallen asleep first. She happened to be in a posture with her eyes downcast, as if looking at documents. Only Lu Xing noticed. She chaired the rest of the meeting on Ji Mingxue’s behalf and then asked everyone else to leave.

Ji Mingxue opened her eyes a sliver. “What is it?”

Lu Xing said, “If it’s not a company problem, then your exhausted appearance can only be explained by drug use.”

Lu Xing was heartbroken. So young, yet picking up bad habits.

Ji Mingxue was silent. Her ears were buzzing and she couldn’t clearly hear what Lu Xing was saying. She replied hurriedly, “The company is fine. My child has a throne to inherit; it’s impossible for anything to happen to the company.”

After speaking, she immediately checked the time on her phone and coincidentally received a call from the family doctor.

“A lung CT? Okay, I’ll be back immediately.”

Over the phone, Ji Mingxue heard Guanguan’s suppressed coughing, as if she were going to cough her very soul out. If possible, Ji Mingxue really wished the person suffering was herself.

Ji Mingxue left in a hurry without even taking her handbag, only leaving a final instruction. “From now on, all work will be conducted online. Send the meeting reports to my email; I will review them.”

Ji Mingxue hadn’t closed her eyes for nearly three nights, tending to Guanguan while handling company affairs. Watching the driver slam the accelerator, Ji Mingxue closed her tired eyes.

Her Song Shuangtian might have always been this tired. Pregnancy is hard, giving birth is hard, and raising a child is even harder.

Only when the CT results showed the child did not have pneumonia did Ji Mingxue breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at the cub’s obedient sleeping face on the bed, Ji Mingxue’s whole heart settled. She sat leaning against the bedside, wiping the sweat from the child’s forehead with a handkerchief and tucking the quilt in a bit tighter.

“Mama…”

Being sick was so miserable. Guanguan whimpered and rolled into Ji Mingxue’s arms, mistaking her for her mother.

“I miss your Mama too.”

“Don’t cry.”

I want to cry too. Both mother and daughter sighed together.

# Left-behind child, left-behind wife #

As Madam Qiu’s condition improved, Song Shuangtian took the time to go to Europe to prepare for Fashion Week.

There was still some time before the event started. The organizers mentioned that M Group would participate, but Song Shuangtian estimated they wouldn’t make an appearance until next week.

In the workshop, Song Shuangtian and several staff members opened a black velvet gemstone box, selecting stones suitable for a brooch.

Reborn had always been themed around nature. Using platinum for the tree trunk and large emeralds for the canopy, the quality of the emeralds was extremely high—vibrant and deep, giving off a mysterious sense of vitality unique to living things. Tahitian pearls, sapphires, and pink diamonds served as the brilliant fruits intertwined among the vines, giving the overall brooch design a touch of fairy-tale dreaminess.

This piece of jewelry could be used as more than just a brooch; it could be separated into a necklace and a bracelet through a very ingenious mechanism.

“Xu Lianyun is here! Wow, I didn’t expect her to actually come.”

An employee next to Song Shuangtian looked up in surprise toward the distant entrance. Song Shuangtian’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Who is she?”

“President Song, Xu Lianyun is the global spokesperson for M Group next quarter.”

Song Shuangtian had seen Xu Lianyun on mall posters. She had acted in several movies and had some fame within Asia.

A newly recruited employee whispered into Song Shuangtian’s ear, “I heard this is the celebrity President Ji took a fancy to. There are rumors she belongs to President Ji, which is why she was given the global spokesperson status.”

She was an Omega, and a breathtakingly beautiful one at that.

Song Shuangtian’s fingers tightened, and the tweezers accidentally poked her palm. The pain didn’t catch the Omega’s attention; she stiffly withdrew her gaze until Xu Lianyun walked up to her.

“Designer Song, I’ve heard much about you.”

Xu Lianyun reached out her hand. Song Shuangtian didn’t want to pay her any mind, but since many people were present, she had to shake hands out of politeness. Xu Lianyun noticed the white jade bracelet on Song Shuangtian’s wrist, and a flash of greed crossed her eyes.

She heard that President Ji had lost a bracelet a few years ago, causing quite a stir. Xu Lianyun had once seen Ji Mingxue’s bracelet; there was a caramel-colored skin on the inside that looked like a swimming fish, identical to the one on Song Shuangtian’s wrist.

She didn’t know why the bracelet was on Song Shuangtian’s hand; it must have been obtained through improper means, otherwise, why would President Ji be searching all over the world for it? If she could get this bracelet back, she would surely win President Ji’s favor.

After all, her position as global spokesperson was still under internal discussion among three candidates, and she didn’t dare bet on a one-in-three chance.

“I heard President Ji thinks very highly of you, Teacher Song. Seeing you today, you are indeed impressive. No wonder President Ji praises your talent to everyone she meets.”

“Thank you. We aren’t close.”

Not close? Xu Lianyun was stunned.