After Little Sweet Omega Runs with the Ball - Chapter 36

Stimulated by the sight of the bracelet lying in its black velvet box, Ji Mingxue began to feel dizzy again.

She returned to her office, cleaned up her little cub, and grabbed a pile of children’s clothes from the lounge to stuff into a suitcase. After her initial surge of excitement passed, she pulled out the messy pile of clothes and carefully folded each piece before putting them back in.

“Baby, we’re going on a trip abroad.”

“Has baby ever been abroad?”

Ji Mingxue’s hair was a mess. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, she looked nothing like the stern, unsmiling big boss her employees knew. She looked like a desperate housewife trying to maintain a smile.

Guanguan huddled close to her mother. She hadn’t forgotten her mission: to make her mother like her.

“I’ve been abroad before,” Guanguan said with an angelic smile.

Ji Mingxue’s heart fluttered. “Our baby is truly impressive.”

Ji Mingxue picked up the child and pulled the suitcase straight to the airport. She had originally planned to take her private jet, but because this was a spontaneous decision, she would have had to apply for a flight path. Forced by time, she had to go to the Capital International Airport instead.

Faced with the eternally surging crowds of the airport, Guanguan didn’t panic in the slightest. Seeing the child’s calm intelligence, Ji Mingxue felt another surge of bitterness in her heart.

The Hetian jade bracelet sat on Ji Mingxue’s wrist, the size a perfect fit; it wouldn’t fall off no matter how she moved. She truly didn’t know how it had managed to go plop into the river back then.

“Does baby come here often?” Ji Mingxue was invited into the VIP lounge.

Guanguan skillfully went to the water bar to grab some milk. “Does Mother want some milky?”

Ji Mingxue: “…I’ll have a can of Coke, thank you.”

“Mama brings Guanguan here a lot,” the child said.

“A lot?”

Guanguan nodded innocently. “Mama says I need to see the world so I don’t become a country bumpkin. She takes me with her for work.”

A shadow flickered in Ji Mingxue’s eyes. It made sense; Song Shuangtian couldn’t just leave Guanguan in a foster facility to be bullied, so she had to take her all over the world. Even if she brought her abroad, the child was likely just kept in a hotel room.

If I had been by Song Shuangtian’s side back then, I would have helped watch the child. I would have taken her to see the mountains and rivers instead of being confined by work.

Ji Mingxue’s heart throbbed in waves. As the carbonated bubbles exploded on the tip of her tongue, she swallowed a mouthful of sourness.

Guanguan’s face was still a bit pale, and she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach. “It hurts! QAQ”

Ji Mingxue: “!”

Guanguan’s stomach was in poor shape. In the first half hour, she went to the restroom three times; in the second half hour, she went four times. By the end, the little “Jar” looked dehydrated, leaning limply against Ji Mingxue’s knee.

Ji Mingxue: “…” She was ready to cry. She truly wished the one with the stomach issues was herself.

While Ji Mingxue didn’t have stomach pains, her rut had returned. The hormonal chaos sent large drops of cold sweat falling from her forehead onto the sofa. She injected three doses of high-strength suppressants into her arm. The icy liquid forcibly suppressed the feverish discomfort within her, but the pain radiating from her bones caused her muscles to spasm.

“Hello, do you need help?” a flight attendant asked worriedly.

“No, thank you.” Ji Mingxue’s shirt was already soaked through. Fortunately, she wore a trench coat over it, so no one could see anything was wrong.

As the plane cut through the sky, Ji Mingxue watched the drifting clouds outside. A blinding ray of light struck her pupils.

Ji Mingxue felt a sense of despair so deep she wanted to jump out. Song Shuangtian had entrusted the child to her, and she had let the child get sick. And now, she was in a rut.

“Mother is sweating. Is Mother hot? Guanguan will fan Mother.”

The little girl with twin braids, who understood nothing of the adult world, picked up a promotional booklet with her chubby hands and used it as a fan, blowing air onto Ji Mingxue’s face.

# Some people look like they’re alive, but they’ve been dead for a while #

Ji Mingxue couldn’t refuse the “White Jade Ball’s” kindness. Her voice was weak as a thread: “Thank you, baby.”

“How much for this?”

Song Shuangtian negotiated with the shopkeeper in fluent French. “How many boxes of this medicine do you have? I want them all.”

“Mademoiselle, this requires a hospital certificate to dispense.”

“I have it.” Yuan Yin skillfully pulled a large plastic bag from her pocket and let the pharmacy staff fill it with heart medication.

After paying, Song Shuangtian left and leaned against a fountain to feed the pigeons. “Can this medicine really help Auntie’s heart?”

Yuan Yin replied, “Rest assured. There are very few pharmacies in all of Europe that can sell this medicine publicly. It’s the latest research for heart conditions and hasn’t been introduced domestically yet.”

Song Shuangtian nodded. “Thank you for helping me apply for it.”

This was also a reason she came to Europe: to purchase medication for her aunt. The pigeons were so fat they could barely fly, yet they still spared no effort to peck at the bread. After eating the soft center, a bread crust was left hanging around one pigeon’s neck like a ring, looking quite ridiculous.

The Omega’s long hair fell like a waterfall, and her pale face was flushed with a hint of color from the sun. With the white, lovely cherubs on the fountain behind her, Song Shuangtian looked almost saintly.

Yuan Yin remarked, “No matter how many times I see you, I think you’re beautiful.”

Song Shuangtian: “…Are you interested in me? Or are you sleepwalking?”

Yuan Yin wasn’t surprised. She knew if she said one wrong word, Song Shuangtian would shove her head into the fountain.

Yuan Yin shook her head. “But I can’t see you as an Omega. Probably because since we were kids, you’ve always acted too much like a dominant Alpha. And…”

Yuan Yin still preferred soft, sweet, lovely little Omegas who smelled like cotton candy, like He Yanyan.

“And what?”

“And right now, your ‘widow who just lost her wife’ aura is too obvious. In the fashion world, what do they call it? An ‘anti-social face’? A high-end, frigid elegance?”

Song Shuangtian told her to get lost.

“Hello, beautiful lady.” A blonde girl walked over shyly, clutching a flower in her hand.

“Sorry, I’m not buying flowers,” Song Shuangtian rejected her casually.

“I’m not selling flowers.” The blonde girl was as cute as a doll, with light freckles on her face and eyelashes like feathered fans. “You are so beautiful.”

Song Shuangtian had a bad feeling.

“Are you an Omega? I can smell your lovely pheromones.” The blonde girl acted bashful. “Do you have a partner? I know a very nice bar.”

Song Shuangtian: “…”

The blonde girl held out a fresh, dripping rose. She was so shy that the tips of her ears hidden in her blonde hair turned red. This beautiful “porcelain doll” from the East was exquisite and fragile, yet her mature aura suggested she wasn’t some naive girl, but rather a sister who knew how to care for people.

Yuan Yin burst out laughing. As she did, she suddenly felt an extremely hostile gaze coming from the shadows of an alleyway. When she looked over, the gaze vanished.

Yuan Yin: “?”

Song Shuangtian said, “Sorry, my child is already three and a half years old.”

The blonde girl wasn’t discouraged. Her hand was already resting on the back of Song Shuangtian’s. “Then would your child mind having one more stepmother? My pheromones smell very good. Smell them first; you’ll like them.”

The blonde Alpha released her highly distinctive alcohol-scented pheromones. Song Shuangtian was choked into a fit of coughing. It smelled good, but Song Shuangtian truly couldn’t handle alcohol.

Song Shuangtian declined firmly. She had no intention of finding a stepmother for Guanguan. One Alpha in this bustling city was destined to be heartbroken.

Perhaps not just one…

M Group’s Fashion Week activities had always been handled by Lu Xing. This time, Lu Xing followed her boss to France.

# Who would have thought France was only as big as a two-bedroom apartment #

Lu Xing asked, “Do you need more suppressants?”

Ji Mingxue’s eyes glowed red in the dark alley. The presence of two high-level Alphas was too heavy, making the rarely visited alley even more silent. Ji Mingxue leaned against a weathered oak wine barrel, breathing heavily in the cold air.

It hurt. Every inch of her bone marrow craved Song Shuangtian’s pheromones. But she couldn’t.

In the past, Lu Xing wouldn’t have been surprised if Ji Mingxue had rushed out immediately to forcibly mark her Omega in front of that death-seeking Alpha. But now, Ji Mingxue held back. Not only did she hold back, but Lu Xing saw a flicker of hesitation and fear in her eyes.

What if Song Shuangtian accepts that pretty blonde Alpha’s date invitation? What if her Guanguan gets a stepmother? What if Song Shuangtian really wants to start a new relationship?

Ji Mingxue had no standing to stop her.

In the dark, silent alley, Ji Mingxue told Lu Xing to handle other matters first. Lu Xing made a call for some bodyguards to block the alley entrance and monitor Ji Mingxue’s condition. She then drove off to prepare for M Group’s debut at Fashion Week.

The gap between the two buildings was too small. The disheveled Alpha looked up and could only see a narrow strip of sky. A roof overhang to one side was dripping dirty water; with a drip-drop sound, it fell into an equally murky puddle. Fat rats scurried past her feet. Ji Mingxue pressed her aching temples, nearly slamming her head against the wall.

She could distinguish a tiny thread of Song Shuangtian’s pheromones in the cluttered air. If she hadn’t smelled them, Ji Mingxue wouldn’t be in such a wretched state. The faint Omega pheromones teased her mind into a frenzy.

The Alpha was no longer as reckless as before. The first thing she had learned in these four years was endurance. She thought she had learned it, but the first time she saw Song Shuangtian, she couldn’t help but mark her in the car.

That was an absolute mistake. Ji Mingxue would not repeat it. She could endure the pain; she couldn’t scare her Omega. Just as Ji Mingxue was trying her best to play the role of a mother, she needed to learn gentleness, kindness, endurance, and how to restrain her instincts.

The predator with long fangs had voluntarily pulled out its teeth, put on a muzzle, and fastened a collar around its neck. She hoped for her master’s favor.

“Who’s there?!” the bodyguard at the alley entrance suddenly shouted, drawing a baton from his waist. The sound of a whip-crack echoed.

“Catch her! Get the briefcase back!”

Clarity slowly returned to Ji Mingxue’s eyes. She had endured one wave of the rut, but every subsequent wave would be more painful than the last. The commotion at the alley entrance disturbed the top-tier Alpha. Ji Mingxue walked forward slowly to see three thieves playing relay with the bodyguard’s briefcase.

The briefcase contained materials for M Group’s activities. An irritated Alpha is the last person you should provoke.

The three thieves were about to use some debris to jump over a wall when suddenly, it felt as if invisible tentacles in the air had bound their legs. The aura of a high-level Alpha instantly loomed over everyone’s spirit. The frigid Alpha pheromones slammed the three of them to the ground like a massive wave.

The briefcase hit the ground, and white papers flew everywhere. These weren’t very important documents; one could only say the thieves had messed with the wrong person.

Ji Mingxue’s high heel stepped on one thief’s head. The man beneath her foot let out a pained wail. The bodyguards immediately moved in to pin all three down.

There were no surveillance cameras here. The consequences of such an absence were self-evident, yet the bodyguards waited in silence for their boss’s next move.

An irritable Alpha might be willing to retract her claws in front of her beloved, but that did not mean she was truly a predator tamed by a muzzle.

The slender heel of her stiletto pierced through the man’s palm.

Dark red blood trickled onto the foul-smelling ground.

“How filthy.”

The pampered Alpha held everyone in disdain, as if the very appearance of these ugly people before her was a cardinal sin.

Her curly long hair partially obscured her exquisite face. The thief, paralyzed by pain, could not make a sound; he could only gape his mouth wide as strings of saliva fell.

Without the need for any other tool, the high heel itself was a weapon.

This was a one-sided venting of rage.

One by one, the white papers were picked up, disinfected, and neatly placed back into the briefcase.

Ji Mingxue lit a cigarette. After finishing it quickly amidst the scent of blood, she flicked the butt onto the mangled wound.

The Alpha then walked out of the alley with elegant steps.

“Our Guanguan is so good.”

Inside a candy shop, Song Shuangtian stroked her child’s little braids.

“Is Mother good to Guanguan?”

Guanguan buried her head in her Mama’s embrace, taking a deep breath of her scent.

“Guanguan missed Mama so much! QAQ”

Guanguan hadn’t seen her Mama for a long time. Waaa, Mama’s embrace was so warm, her hair felt so soft, and her voice was so gentle.

Guanguan was much better after taking her gastrointestinal medicine, though her little face was still a bit pale. Song Shuangtian, heart aching, pulled the cub into her arms for a squeeze.

“Mother likes Guanguan, but Guanguan likes Mama more.”

Guanguan blinked her large, grape-like eyes. “Guanguan got revenge for Mama.”

Song Shuangtian: “Revenge?”

Guanguan made a “rawr” dinosaur face. “Yes! Guanguan used her little sharp teeth to bite Mother’s neck, I bit her many times!”

She had bitten Mother’s neck until it turned red. Her little teeth even felt a bit sore.

Song Shuangtian: “…”

Song Shuangtian looked at Yuan Yin expressionlessly. Yuan Yin looked away guiltily.

Song Shuangtian lifted the “Jar” to gauge her weight. Finding that she hadn’t gotten lighter but had actually gained weight and grown taller, she finally felt at ease. She believed Ji Mingxue would take good care of the child. Ji Mingxue wasn’t like Qiu Tingnan; she wouldn’t leave a child with a father who didn’t love her.

Guanguan would not repeat her childhood.

Song Shuangtian added, “But Mother let Guanguan catch a fever and have diarrhea.”

Guanguan shook her head. “It’s because I played in the snow and fell into the bushes. The cold snow got inside my clothes, so I got a fever. And I secretly ate ice cream. Mother told me not to, but I couldn’t help it! QAQ”

“So Mother is good, and Guanguan is bad.”

Guanguan began to reflect on herself, her voice growing smaller for fear that her Mama would be angry with her.

“Guanguan isn’t bad. It’s Mother who didn’t watch Guanguan properly.”

Having finally coaxed the little one, Song Shuangtian undid her messy braids and tied them into a neat, beautiful style. Song Shuangtian had bought many pretty hair ties abroad; whenever she traveled, she bought local hair accessories for Guanguan. Guanguan’s collection of hair ties alone could fill three entire drawers.

This time, Song Shuangtian had called Guanguan out to play behind Ji Mingxue’s back, simply because she wanted to avoid her.

“Mama,” Guanguan carefully tugged at Song Shuangtian’s sleeve. “When will Mama and Mother be together? While walking around, I see everyone else is a family of three. QAQ Guanguan wants Mama and Mother to live together too.”

Guanguan didn’t understand. If Mother and Mama were both good to her, why did they live in different places? Usually, she didn’t dare ask, but she brought it up carefully now while her Mama was in a good mood.

Song Shuangtian’s hands paused. “Does Guanguan like Mama or Mother more?”

The moment she asked, Song Shuangtian herself froze. Since she was a child, she had hated being asked that question. The bullet had finally hit her between the eyes; Song Shuangtian had become the person she hated most during her childhood.

Yuan Yin was also a bit stunned. Just as she was about to smooth things over, she saw Guanguan looking at Song Shuangtian blankly, her dark eyes filling with tears.

“Do I have to choose?”

Song Shuangtian avoided the child’s gaze.

“Guanguan likes Mama and also likes Mother. Mother sat by the bed for many nights holding me while I slept. I would cough when I lay down, but I didn’t cough when she held me.”

“Mother also plays toys with me and helps me with the homework the teacher assigned. Mother…”

Guanguan began to cry, overwhelmed. Her Mama would do these things too, but…

A child cannot weigh two portions of love to see which is heavier. Love is not something that should be placed on a scale.

“I’m sorry.” Song Shuangtian hugged the sobbing child and patted her back soothingly. “I’m sorry. Mama shouldn’t have asked you that.”

Song Shuangtian closed her eyes, her heart aching. But Mama’s heart was also uneasy. She didn’t know how to continue her relationship with Guanguan’s mother. Whenever she faced Ji Mingxue, she had to face the fact that she wasn’t born out of desire.

But Song Shuangtian wasn’t so foolish as to project the grievances of the previous generation onto her own child. After calming Guanguan down, she carried her into the hotel Ji Mingxue had booked.

Guanguan opened the door. “Mother shouldn’t be back yet.”

Song Shuangtian nodded. She only intended to drop Guanguan at the door; she wasn’t mentally prepared to face Ji Mingxue.

However, the moment the door opened!

A rush of Alpha pheromones hit Song Shuangtian, making her head spin. Regaining her composure, she saw a half-dead Alpha lying on the sofa. It looked as though she might stop breathing at any moment from the agony of her rut.

Song Shuangtian’s eyelashes lowered. She could have turned and left, but…

“Take Guanguan out and buy her something to eat.”

Yuan Yin picked up the “Jar” and covered the child’s eyes. “Let’s go. Auntie will take you for something yummy, and then we’ll feed the pigeons for a bit, okay?”

Guanguan’s attention was instantly diverted. “Pigeons! Pigeons!”

The suite fell silent.

Song Shuangtian quietly closed the door. She walked to the sofa and placed her palm on Ji Mingxue’s forehead. Ji Mingxue was clearly unconscious. In the most severe cases, a rut can be fatal. Enduring it wasn’t a long-term solution.

Tsk. How wretched. How pathetic. Simply pitiful.

The Alpha seemed to catch a scent of an Omega. Like a large dog, she propped up her upper body, carefully discerning the scent in the air, before slumping her head onto Song Shuangtian’s lap. She didn’t dare move, as if afraid of disturbing a dream.

“For the sake of you taking good care of my daughter…”

Song Shuangtian scratched the Alpha’s chin. As if receiving a reward, Ji Mingxue made a whimpering sound in her throat. She really was like a large dog.

“Song Shuangtian?” Ji Mingxue asked softly, terrified that a loud voice would scare her away. “I’m sorry.”

Under the absolute temptation of Omega pheromones, Ji Mingxue managed to maintain enough sanity not to pounce, which made Song Shuangtian raise an eyebrow.

“Why are you sorry?”

Ji Mingxue nuzzled her face against Song Shuangtian’s leg. She murmured dizzily, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have caused you to lose your bracelet. I didn’t send that woman; I’ll have her blacklisted.”

“What else?”

“…And,” Ji Mingxue’s brain was mush, but she still knew what she had done wrong. Clearly, pheromone imbalance during a rut was no excuse for being ruled by desire. “I shouldn’t have pulled your pearl necklace. I shouldn’t have marked you by force in the car. I’m sorry to Guanguan; I didn’t take good care of her. I let her get a fever and a stomachache.”

The more Ji Mingxue spoke, the more she felt she was a heinous criminal. Her final words were blurred; she didn’t even realize when Song Shuangtian had pulled her into a light embrace.

“You really have a fever, don’t you?”

Song Shuangtian sighed inwardly. She knew Ji Mingxue was hypersensitive to her pheromones. If Song Shuangtian disappeared from her world, the ruts wouldn’t be so severe. The problem was that even if they separated, they remained in the same social circle and industry.

Song Shuangtian now held the dominance over pheromones. Ji Mingxue needed to earn her favor to gain the right to a temporary mark.

The Alpha’s fingers uncontrollably brushed against the Omega’s waist. She didn’t dare use force; she only dared a light graze. It flicked at the Omega’s fragile nerves.

“Put your paws down!”

Ji Mingxue’s fingers reluctantly moved away from Song Shuangtian’s waist, only to inadvertently brush past her tailbone. Song Shuangtian had been rational until then, but that touch sent a spark through her.

The Alpha leaned over the Omega, her knees pinning Song Shuangtian’s legs down. “Song Shuangtian, I’m in so much pain.”

Even if it was a dream, she wanted to smell Song Shuangtian’s scent a little longer. The gland on the back of the Omega’s neck was plump and slightly swollen; Song Shuangtian’s breath grew hot.

The Omega’s fingers gripped Ji Mingxue’s chin. “There’s one more thing you did wrong.”

The Alpha looked at her blankly.

The Omega said: “You stole my mother.”

“I’m sorry.”

The Alpha apologized repeatedly. She might not even know exactly what she was apologizing for, but she knew she must have done something wrong. If the Omega said she was wrong, she must be wrong.

Song Shuangtian’s breathing became heavy.

“Please.” The usually arrogant and aloof Alpha begged for the first time. “Tiantian, let me have a bite. Just one bite, okay?”

The Alpha tried desperately to pull off the bracelet, but no matter how red her skin became, it wouldn’t budge. She began to cry in frustration; at her strength, a dislocated wrist was inevitable.

Song Shuangtian hadn’t expected to hear an apology. Perhaps it was just a delirious Alpha rambling, but the most vulnerable part of her heart was struck hard.

Forget it.

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