After Little Sweet Omega Runs with the Ball - Chapter 41

In the darkness of the night, Ji Mingxue placed the child seat in the back of her sports car. From the moment it left the factory, this car likely never expected to be fitted with a somewhat ugly child safety seat. The aggressive red sports car sat parked by the roadside, appearing ready to pounce. Ji Mingxue lifted her White Jade Ball with both hands and secured her into the seat.

“Mother, why do the car doors fly up like wings?” Guanguan asked.

 

Ji Mingxue pressed the door down. “Don’t move around.”

 

She sat in the driver’s seat, nursing a bit of a headache. She had swapped her high heels for flats, though she was still wearing a form-fitting black silk social dress. A long strand of Hetian jade beads hung around her neck, swaying with her every movement—a look that was both mysterious and opulent. She stepped on the gas, and the engine let out a low, rhythmic roar. As the car surged forward, Guanguan clapped her hands from the back seat in delight.

 

Ji Mingxue kept her speed very low. She opened the convertible top, letting the wind blow against Guanguan’s face.

 

“Mother, go fast!”

 

“The road has a speed limit,” Ji Mingxue replied. She wouldn’t dream of speeding with her cub in the car.

 

The drive from Ji Mingxue’s villa to the Reborn headquarters was not short. Countless people in the capital spotted a flashy red sports car with a child seat in the back, containing a carved White Jade Ball waving her hands and giggling.

 

Lu Xing, lying in bed half-awake and scrolling through Weibo, suddenly saw a familiar name on the trending list: # M Group CEO and Heir Speeding in the City #

 

“I’m so jealous. In my next life, I want to be the only daughter of a multinational group.” “Speeding? You call ten kilometers per hour in a convertible speeding?” “Is it possible this is slower than my electric scooter?” “LOL, President Ji looks like she’s about to fall asleep. She’s being overtaken by everyone and she’s just chilling.” “Adding ‘stealing this child’ to my bucket list.” “Case closed, guys. Today is Children’s Day; President Ji is just playing with her kid.”

 

Lu Xing sat up abruptly, rubbing her eyes as she clicked the tag. Countless photos taken by passersby popped up. The familiar silhouette of the CEO was seen leaning her head on her hand, her long hair slightly disheveled by the wind, giving her a more casual air. The cub behind her was clapping, her little face flushed red by the wind, her purple-grape eyes sparkling at the scenery.

 

Lu Xing immediately contacted the PR department and tried to call her boss. No one answered the latter, but the former had news: the red sports car had parked at the foot of the Reborn headquarters.

 

Lu Xing exhaled deeply. “It’s fine. We can explain it as a business meeting.”

 

“But the Reborn security won’t let her in,” the PR staff added.

 

They sent a photo: the red sports car looked pathetic parked outside the metal gates. A row of muscular security guards stood in a line, blocking Ji Mingxue. The photo showed the woman in the black dress negotiating; the guards’ expressions were ice-cold. No matter what the prestigious Alpha said, they wouldn’t let her in.

 

Lu Xing stared at the ceiling. Just let the world end. “Lu Xing here. Do we need to clarify?”

 

Clarify what? Lu Xing thought. That the Big Boss was locked out by her wife? “No, let the public opinion brew.”

 

M Group’s jewelry lines had always advocated for a woman’s confident, flamboyant beauty—vibrant, blooming, and resilient. Ji Mingxue’s late-night drive with her child actually enhanced the brand’s image.

 

While Lu Xing was relaxed, Ji Mingxue’s head was throbbing. “Look closely. This is your boss’s child.”

 

The guard glanced at the cub in the back seat. This was indeed the Big Boss’s kid. “Apologies… but you and the young lady do not have access cards. Please do not make this difficult for us.”

 

Ji Mingxue looked back at the cub. “How do you usually get into your Mama’s company?”

 

“Mama or Auntie holds my hand and walks me in,” Guanguan replied.

 

Ji Mingxue felt dizzy.

 

“Apologies, but your car cannot be parked here,” the guard added. A garbage truck behind them was honking. This prestigious Alpha CEO had to humiliatingly park her red convertible in a cramped corner. The crimson paint seemed to lose its luster.

 

Ji Mingxue rescued the child from the safety seat. Guanguan held her mother’s hand and whispered, “Will Mother take Guanguan to get the gift Mama gave me?” The little girl’s eyes grew watery as she looked up at the towering skyscraper, hiding in her mother’s embrace. “But I miss Mama. I’ll be good. I’ll never eat ice cream or cookies again. I just want the gift Mama gave me!”

 

Guanguan believed the gift from her Mama was better than any house, stock, or flashy, slow car. Ji Mingxue subconsciously turned the jade bracelet on her wrist. She looked at the unrelenting guards, then at the tearful child. Ever since falling for Song Shuangtian, her headaches had increased tenfold.

 

“Mother, we can go through the back door.”

 

The White Jade Ball touched her mother’s pinky and kissed her hand. She said in her milky voice, “Go around from here to there, then through a corridor, then further inside. You’ll see a set of stairs, then do this and that.”

 

Ji Mingxue didn’t quite follow, but the child urged, “We’re already here.”

 

“Fine, baby, show me the way.”

 

The office building was dark, with only a few windows lit. Ji Mingxue worried about the child tripping, so she tucked Guanguan under her left arm, letting her sit on her forearm. The Alpha, dressed in a custom evening gown, walked into a dim alley.

 

“I know a way to the back door that doesn’t need a card,” Guanguan pointed. Ji Mingxue stepped over waist-high bushes, her black silk dress snagging on the twigs. A cat resting in the bushes let out a sharp cry and scrambled up a tree, watching the intruders warily.

 

The skyscraper loomed ahead like a fortress. Ji Mingxue had never had to sneak into a company like this. Usually, she was invited in with the entire staff standing at attention. Now, she felt like a thief looking for a back door.

 

Behind the building was the kitchen of a closed restaurant. “This is the back door you mentioned?” Ji Mingxue looked around and found no other way in.

 

Guanguan pointed to a greasy iron door. “I saw an auntie go in there. The key is under the rock by the door.”

 

The door was so coated in layers of grease that its original color was gone. It gave off an ominous vibe. The Alpha’s clean, high-end white magnolia pheromones mingled with the stench of kitchen grease. She had to lift her skirt as her lambskin soles stepped into the filth. The tiles were slick with oil; every step felt sticky.

 

“Stinky!” Guanguan pinched her nose. Unlike Ji Mingxue, the child was protected; her princess dress remained spotless. She buried her face in Ji Mingxue’s neck to breathe in her mother’s scent.

 

“Are you sure this leads into Reborn?”

 

“The cleaning auntie said it does.”

 

Ji Mingxue stepped over a puddle of wastewater. The kitchen was grim. Since they were in the North, there weren’t the thumb-sized cockroaches of the South, but tiny bugs covered the yellow pest strips. Ji Mingxue’s black dress was already stained. She took a black rubber band and haphazardly tied back her long hair.

 

“Ah!” Guanguan suddenly shrieked, burying her head in her mother’s neck. The child shook with fear. Ji Mingxue held her tight as she climbed a set of stairs. According to Guanguan, there was a fire exit that led directly to the kitchen of the second-floor coffee shop.

 

Suddenly, a rat larger than a foot scurried past, scratching against the wall. Guanguan looked like she was about to faint. The fat rat, well-fed on kitchen scraps, charged toward Ji Mingxue.

 

In the past, no such “dirty thing” would have dared appear before her. But “scared” wasn’t in Ji Mingxue’s vocabulary right now. “Don’t cry,” she said coldly.

 

Then, the sound of the black rat being crushed under Ji Mingxue’s foot echoed in the quiet kitchen, followed by the sound of snapping bone.

 

“Look, it’s not moving anymore.” Ji Mingxue’s lip twitched, but she maintained her Alpha composure. “Mother will always protect you.”

 

I’m bathing in disinfectant when I get home, she thought. Many times.

 

Guanguan’s teary eyelashes fluttered. “Mother is so amazing.”

 

Was Mother maybe a bit too amazing?

Guanguan’s tearful eyes froze.

She decided to stop crying; she was a sensible little Guanguan.

Following the stairs upward, they indeed found a door that hadn’t been closed. Ji Mingxue’s heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, finally settled. In the dark corridor, only the emergency exit sign cast a faint green glow.

Passing through the cafe’s back kitchen, Ji Mingxue finally saw the exquisite and bright decor belonging to a modern jewelry company. The air was no longer filled with the indescribable smell of cooking fumes, but rather the custom fragrance Reborn had commissioned.

“Mother, rest for a while.”

Guanguan felt the arm her mother used to hold her gradually stiffen. Guanguan wasn’t a light “jar”; she was a bit heavy. Her mother had been carrying her the whole time; she would be tired.

Ji Mingxue didn’t force herself. She placed Guanguan on a high stool and washed her arms with tap water. Her shoes were ruined. Her dress was ruined, too. The Alpha was almost driven to a frustrated laugh by her current predicament.

To have to sneak into her wife’s company like this—Ji Mingxue massaged her temples, which were throbbing with irritation. Seeing the child’s worried expression, Ji Mingxue thought she was anxious, and her heart softened instantly.

“I will help Guanguan get the gift Mommy sent you.”

There was still half an hour left. There was an elevator here that went directly to Song Shuangtian’s office floor; they could get there in less than three minutes.

Guanguan let out a sigh that sounded like it belonged to an adult.

Ji Mingxue first cleaned her skin as best she could; as for the tattered dress, she had no time to worry about it. She pressed the elevator button. As it stopped on the second floor, the doors slowly opened to reveal a bright interior space. Ji Mingxue pressed the button for the 47th floor.

The elevator doors closed. But it didn’t move.

Ji Mingxue pressed it again, refusing to give up.

Guanguan said, “The elevator seems to need a staff card. I saw a big sister tap her card against it, it made a beep sound, and then the elevator moved.”

Ji Mingxue: “.”

The heart that had been hanging finally died.

Ji Mingxue closed her eyes for a moment, feeling her blood pressure rise and her head spin. The Alpha was forced to step out of the elevator, watching helplessly as it descended back to the first floor.

Guanguan kindly pointed toward the stairs. “Mother, go this way.”

Ji Mingxue asked, “Is there a freight elevator?”

Guanguan replied, “I think so, but the security guard uncle needs to swipe his card.”

Ji Mingxue thought to herself: Your Reborn really is like an iron fortress; even M Group isn’t managed this strictly.

Sparing neither the gentleman nor the thief—Song Shuangtian certainly understood security. The Alpha felt targeted. She even believed the Omega was intentionally testing her.

If anyone else had dared to play with her like this, Ji Mingxue would have long since turned cold and walked away, later seeking petty revenge. But this was Song Shuangtian’s territory. In her domain, one had to follow her rules. Moreover, Ji Mingxue didn’t think Song Shuangtian was making things difficult on purpose; rather, it was like a fairy tale where a knight must endure hardships and slay the dragon to marry her beloved princess.

The Alpha’s expression softened. “I’ll carry you up the stairs.”

As she spoke, she crouched down, preparing to carry Guanguan on her back.

“Who’s there!”

A flashlight beam pierced the darkness, shining directly on Ji Mingxue. The arrogant, unreasonable glare offered no room for negotiation. A woman’s voice rang out from the darkness behind them.

“Who are you?! Stay where you are; I’ve already called security.”

The woman muttered, “The security is so bad, they actually let a thief in.”

Ji Mingxue squinted toward the light. She saw the person’s phone screen was lit up, showing a dialogue box with the emergency police number.

Ji Mingxue: “…”

Her lip twitched. If she trended tomorrow for being a thief at Reborn, M Group’s stock price would truly collapse. Did she not care about her reputation?

As the owner of the flashlight drew closer, the overhead lights suddenly flickered on. The bright light instantly enveloped Ji Mingxue and Guanguan.

He Yanyan switched off her flashlight, stunned. “President Ji? Guanguan?”

“What are you two doing here???”

As soon as Guanguan saw it was Auntie He Yanyan, she slid off Ji Mingxue’s back and ran into He Yanyan’s arms.

“Auntie! Auntie, help me and Mother open the elevator QAQ. We can’t get up QAQ.”

He Yanyan had come to Reborn to pick up a file Yuan Yin had left behind. She had suddenly seen two people blocked at the stairwell because they lacked a staff card. If they didn’t have a card, how did they pass the first-floor security? There was only one possibility: they had entered through unofficial channels.

He Yanyan had considered countless possibilities; she had even hidden a vase behind her back, ready to strike if she encountered a criminal. She never expected it to be Ji Mingxue and Guanguan.

He Yanyan looked at Ji Mingxue’s tattered dress and her shoes, which left dirty stains with every step, with a complicated expression. It was her first time seeing someone wear a piece of haute couture as if they were a scavenger.

The elevator ascended smoothly.

Ji Mingxue: “Thank you.”

He Yanyan: “What are you two doing…”

Ji Mingxue: “I don’t have access to Reborn. All of my company’s visit requests were rejected by Reborn.”

He Yanyan suddenly remembered. “Indeed, a shareholder suggested increasing security, apparently to prevent people with ‘ulterior motives’ from entering.”

Ji Mingxue was exactly that person with “ulterior motives.” He Yanyan truly hadn’t expected that after all the precautions, the person they were guarding against was Ji Mingxue.

At the 47th floor, He Yanyan didn’t rush to leave.

“You probably don’t have the password to Song Shuangtian’s office, do you?”

He Yanyan opened the office door. “Alright, I’m leaving now.”

Ji Mingxue called out to her, “About today’s matter…”

He Yanyan understood. “Don’t worry, President Ji. I won’t tell Song Shuangtian that the two of you came here in the middle of the night for such sneaky business.”

Ji Mingxue said with a half-smile, “Please tell Song Shuangtian everything exactly as it happened. Tell her that her daughter and I circled to the back door of the office building, did this and that, then went through a stairwell, did this and that, successfully reached the second floor, and climbed from the second floor to the 47th.”

He Yanyan: “This and that, then that?”

Climbing from the 2nd floor to the 47th—was this what President Ji meant by “exactly as it happened”?

He Yanyan gave an “OK” gesture. Though she didn’t quite understand, she was deeply shocked. This little couple’s relationship was far more convoluted than hers and Yuan Yin’s.

As soon as the office door opened, Guanguan charged in like a little cannonball.

Ji Mingxue stood by the door, quietly studying the keypad lock. If she hadn’t met He Yanyan, she would have had to carry Guanguan from the 2nd floor to the 47th. Without He Yanyan, she would have had to face this lock alone.

Ji Mingxue entered Song Shuangtian’s birthday. A red light flashed, indicating an incorrect password. The lock beeped twice; there were only two more chances to enter it successfully.

Ji Mingxue’s fingertips paused. She didn’t believe Song Shuangtian would set her own birthday as the password. The Alpha also didn’t think she occupied a very large place in Song Shuangtian’s life. She loved Song Shuangtian dearly and couldn’t leave her, but did Song Shuangtian feel the same?

Ji Mingxue’s heart felt bitter. Several times, she didn’t dare finish typing the code. What if? What if Song Shuangtian had set the password to her (Ji’s) birthday?

The red light flashed again. Incorrect password.

Ji Mingxue let out a long breath. She wouldn’t bypass this challenge just because He Yanyan had opened the door for her. There was only one last chance left.

Guanguan was happily clutching a children’s camera on the desk. Ji Mingxue recognized the brand; it was simple and easy to use, yet its price was no cheaper than a mirrorless camera, and the photo quality was excellent, allowing children to record the images they liked at any time.

Something else was lying on the desk.

Ji Mingxue looked away. She entered Guanguan’s birthday.

The final chance.

If Song Shuangtian’s password wasn’t any of these three strings of numbers, Ji Mingxue truly wouldn’t know what to do. But she knew that since Song Shuangtian had given her a riddle, there must be a corresponding solution. If Song Shuangtian really didn’t want her to enter, she wouldn’t have arranged for Guanguan, who knew the way, to guide her.

The disheveled Alpha pressed the hash (#) key after entering the last digit. In the less than one second it took for the system to verify the password, it felt to Ji Mingxue as if a century had passed. She felt like an elementary student standing before a homeroom teacher, trembling as she watched the teacher grade her homework.

A green light flashed.

With two beeps, the screen showed the password was correct.

Ji Mingxue exhaled deeply. During the process of guessing the password, her back had become soaked with sweat, which, combined with the smell of the back kitchen, emitted a far from pleasant scent.

Only after receiving Song Shuangtian’s “official” permission did Ji Mingxue step into the office.

A card was lying quietly on the desk. An employee card.

Name: Ji Mingxue

Position: Secretary to the Chairperson

The photo on the employee card wasn’t a standard ID photo with a red background, but a candid shot. In the photo, Ji Mingxue was surrounded by various colored gemstones. She was wearing glasses, using tweezers to pick up a perfectly cut gem, and examining it with a magnifying glass.

They say women are at their most handsome when they are working. In the photo, Ji Mingxue looked focused, her lips pressed into a straight line due to concentration.

With this pass, Ji Mingxue could move through Reborn without any obstacles.

Click.

Ji Mingxue turned around to see Guanguan holding the children’s camera, pressing the shutter at her.

“Guanguan has always wanted a camera; Mommy remembered.”

Ji Mingxue walked over and crouched down to look at the photo Guanguan took. In the picture, the Alpha was holding the hard-won employee pass with both hands as if it were a precious treasure.

Previously, Song Shuangtian had been her secretary; now, Ji Mingxue was her “Secretary to the Chairperson.” The rank was even higher than the one Song Shuangtian held back at M Group. Of course, Ji Mingxue knew this was just a title.

Regardless, she now had an “official status.” If the two of them were to get married, this position would actually hold real power.

What surprised Ji Mingxue even more was the background of the photo—blooming fireworks. The fireworks exploded in the sky, forming a line of words:

Baby, Happy Children’s Day.

In the hospital room, Madam Qiu had already fallen asleep.

Song Shuangtian leaned against the balcony railing. Her phone screen showed the surveillance footage from her office. She had brought her aunt to the capital for recovery. Her aunt’s health was gradually improving, and Song Shuangtian had arranged the best sanatorium in the area for her.

The night breeze brushed through the Omega’s hair, carrying the scent of orange blossom pheromones. Song Shuangtian dialed Ji Mingxue’s number.

“Tiantian.”

Song Shuangtian smiled faintly. “Who gave you permission to call me Tiantian?”

On the phone, Ji Mingxue leaned against the floor-to-ceiling glass, admiring the firework show meant for her baby; she was riding on her daughter’s coattails.

“The tables have turned,” Ji Mingxue chuckled. “Chairperson, I apologize. I overstepped my bounds just now.”

Song Shuangtian was amused by her. “Hmm. Do you like the gift?”

Ji Mingxue: “I like it. I want to thank the Chairperson for her favor in person. Could you give your subordinate a chance?”