After Little Sweet Omega Runs with the Ball - Chapter 45

“No way, no way. Is there actually anyone left who doesn’t know that M Group uses filthy tactics behind the scenes?”

“The person above is hilarious. You don’t talk about morality in the business world. ST Group only got acquired because they couldn’t cut it themselves.”

“I find this whole thing hard to judge. Taking someone’s mother abroad and keeping her tied to your side? That is genuinely malicious.”

“I feel so bad for her. People used to say the ST Group heir was incompetent, but who knew she would develop Reborn so well?”

“The person above is right. Now Ji Mingxue is talking cooperation with Reborn again; she must be up to no good.”

The online flame wars were relentless. Ji Mingxue’s phone screen was flooded with notifications. The atmosphere in the entire office was tense, and the newly hired PR staff did not even dare to speak.

Ji Mingxue had an unlit cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth.

“Continue.”

Lu Xing stood in front of the PR team. “We have already found the person behind the scenes.”

Ji Mingxue raised her eyes, her gaze devoid of emotion. “Who is it?”

Lu Xing spoke the man’s name.

Ji Mingxue sneered. “So it really is that thing.”

Her voice was too flat for anyone to gauge her current mood. Being smeared is a situation that almost every company has faced. Usually, public debates center on design plagiarism or substandard materials, but a moral judgment of this scale was unprecedented.

Ji Mingxue’s fingernails tapped against the desk, creating a rhythmic, heart-pounding sound.

The Alpha gave a light laugh. “It really is him.”

If not for Song Shuangtian’s sake, she would have dealt with this male Alpha abroad a long time ago. Song Chuang was Song Shuangtian’s father. He was that woman’s husband. Regardless of whether that woman or Song Shuangtian liked him, they were a family. As an outsider, Ji Mingxue had no room to intervene.

Lu Xing asked, “The reporters are already here. Should we drive them away?”

Reporters had swarmed the main entrance, demanding an explanation. Although actions taken abroad are not bound by domestic laws, the current rumors suggested that M Group’s management, Ji Mingxue’s parents, had detained Song Shuangtian’s mother overseas to prevent her from managing the company, subsequently stealing a vast amount of her manuscripts to form M Group’s current design style.

Ji Mingxue replied, “See them. Why would I not? They have come a long way; we cannot let them leave empty-handed.”

Lu Xing asked, “Should I notify Song Shuangtian to come over?”

Ji Mingxue stood up and looked at her friend, who was usually solemn with cold glasses perched on her nose, with a strange expression.

“Are you sleepwalking?”

Ji Mingxue straightened her cuffs. “Her career is thriving; she is the new favorite of royal families across the globe. Is she someone I can just order around?”

Without waiting for Lu Xing to respond, Ji Mingxue pushed open the office door. Lu Xing stood rooted to the spot. She sensed that the big boss’s mood was definitely off.

It felt quite aggrieved.

Lu Xing scratched her head, ultimately deciding not to call Song Shuangtian as she hurried to follow Ji Mingxue. Falling in love is so hard. The kid is almost four, and the wife still has not been won over. Debts from the past must be repaid now.

The moment the glass doors opened, countless black microphones and camera lenses lunged toward Ji Mingxue. The Alpha did not look disheveled as the reporters had expected. Her clothes were impeccable, though her hair was slightly tossed by the wind. A few physically weaker Omegas were already feeling lightheaded under the pressure of Ji Mingxue’s Alpha pheromones.

The woman stood before the crowd and scanned them with a single look.

A bold reporter thrust a microphone forward. “Hello. May I ask if the current Chairman of M Group once detained Ms. Qiu Tingnan abroad for a long period? Were you aware of this?”

Ji Mingxue first glanced at the media outlet’s name on the microphone and gave a languid smile. “This media house is an old friend of our company.”

The reporter’s smile stiffened. M Group’s investment reach was vast, covering media, entertainment, healthcare, education, mining, and gas. It had grown into an unavoidable titan.

“Ms. Qiu Tingnan lives in France long-term. She is my godmother. As for detaining, are you all bullying the dead because she cannot speak for herself?”

Ji Mingxue continued, “Ms. Qiu was unhappy with her arranged marriage and unhappy with the husband who marked her while she was drunk. It is perfectly normal that she did not want to return to the country, is it not?”

The reporter watched helplessly as Ji Mingxue turned a serious legal issue into a simple case of marital discord. She wanted to push with sharper questions, but considering M Group’s investments, she could only pull her microphone back in frustration.

Another microphone immediately took its place. “Hello, President Ji. It is said that M Group’s designs over the years share many similarities with the old ST Group’s designs. What do you have to say about that?”

Lu Xing glanced at the male reporter. It was a small, obscure online media outlet that had not received any investment from them. No wonder he dared to ask that. Lu Xing looked at her boss with concern. This was a difficult question to answer. If she blamed everything on ST’s plagiarism, it would be like throwing mud at Song Shuangtian. It might even expose the fact that Song Shuangtian had been an undercover mole in their company back then.

Ji Mingxue’s tone remained unchanged. “In the past, the person primarily responsible for product design at ST Group was Song Shuangtian. She and I are very good friends, very, very good friends.”

Ji Mingxue emphasized heavily, “We are close in private and often discuss design issues during our leisure time. Are there any other questions?”

Ji Mingxue’s words meant everything and nothing at the same time. In the past, Song Chuang had obsessed over M Group’s plagiarism while ignoring other brands. Plus, since Ji Mingxue had sued every other designer with a record of plagiarism, only Song Shuangtian was left. Strangely enough, Song Shuangtian was a designer for M Group; it was only natural for her designs to be used by her own company.

Ji Mingxue thought of this, and the corners of her mouth curled up. The media was speechless. They felt something was off, but facing Ji Mingxue’s expression, they did not dare say a word.

How good was a very, very good friend? Suddenly, someone remembered the rumors that Ji Mingxue and Song Shuangtian had a child together. It was as if the design inspiration came from sleeping in the same bed. Since Song Shuangtian’s mother and Ji Mingxue’s parents were friends, it was perfectly logical for the in-laws to have a good relationship.

The impromptu press conference left the media looking at one another in confusion. It felt like they had dug up a lot of gossip, yet they walked away with nothing concrete. Where was the expected smell of gunpowder? Why did it suddenly feel like a marriage announcement?

Ji Mingxue did not care what the media speculated. Back in her office, she leaned quietly against the back of her chair. Guanguan was sprawled on her lap, sucking on a lollipop.

“Mother, no smoking allowed.”

Guanguan reached out to snatch the cigarette from Ji Mingxue’s lips. Ji Mingxue coaxed her with a wry smile. “I am not smoking.”

She had not lit it. Song Shuangtian disliked the smell of nicotine, and she would not do anything Song Shuangtian hated. Guanguan insisted on confiscating the cigarette. Her mommy said people who smoke are bad people, and she did not want Mother to be a bad person.

Ji Mingxue snapped the cigarette and threw it in the trash. “There, is that better?”

Guanguan’s eyes welled up. “People outside are saying Mother is a bad person.”

Ji Mingxue’s eyes flickered. “Who said that?”

“I heard it on the phone,” Guanguan replied.

Ji Mingxue understood. Some internet bloggers were always looking for a sensational story. Ji Mingxue pulled the child onto her lap and tapped on her phone with one hand, ordering the PR department to handle the online sentiment.

“Is Mother a bad person?”

Guanguan stuffed her favorite strawberry lollipop into her mother’s mouth. “Mommy said Mother is a good mother.”

Seeing Ji Mingxue remain silent, Guanguan grew anxious, her little face turning bright red.

“I am not.”

In her position, Ji Mingxue had done many questionable things, but regarding Song Shuangtian, she could not say with a clear conscience that she had never done anything bad.

The weather in the capital was not great. Storm clouds were gathering, and a vast mist shrouded the floor-to-ceiling windows, obscuring the city skyline.

Inside the Reborn headquarters, Song Shuangtian was watching Ji Mingxue’s explanation to the media on her screen. Yuan Yin and He Yanyan were in her office, shoulders pressed together like a pair of inseparable bears.

Song Shuangtian’s pulse throbbed. “You two, stop being so affectionate in my office. Get out.”

“I think you are just jealous of us,” Yuan Yin retorted.

Yuan Yin and He Yanyan were currently in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. He Yanyan had bought many luxury goods she did not even like, and Yuan Yin just smiled and paid. Yuan Yin believed that money needed to flow to make more money and that spending it on her destiny was never a loss.

Song Shuangtian had a headache. “Now everyone is saying Ji Mingxue maliciously acquired ST Group.”

Yuan Yin snickered. “ST stands for Suspended Trading. It was destiny.”

Song Shuangtian glared at her. She eventually posted a statement. Ji Mingxue had defended her; as the mother of their child, Song Shuangtian could not just stand by.

“Send that thing to Song Chuang. He will like it,” Song Shuangtian said, leaning back.

It was evening by the time Ji Mingxue saw Song Shuangtian’s statement. Netizens were screaming over the romance.

“Holy crap, what kind of divine transaction is this?”

“How can someone acquire a group, change it to the other person’s name, and then give it back?”

“I admit, I was a bit too loud when I was bashing Ji Mingxue earlier.”

Netizens summarized that Ji Mingxue had acquired ST, wiped out the losses, upgraded the product line, renamed the jewelry line the Shuang Series, and gifted it back to Song Shuangtian. Its market value was now several times higher.

Ji Mingxue’s heart hammered uncontrollably. Song Shuangtian did not have to wade into these murky waters. Ji Mingxue had wronged her in the past, so the public outcry was just karma. But Song Shuangtian had defended her anyway.

Ji Mingxue buried her face in the warm bathwater. Tiantian has me in her heart. Her phone emitted a special notification sound.

Song Shuangtian: “Manage the company well and earn milk money for Guanguan. Do not carry everything on your own shoulders.”

Song Shuangtian was planning their future. She felt sorry for her. Ji Mingxue buried her head back in the bathtub.

While Ji Mingxue was experiencing a romantic awakening, Song Chuang was in a hotel room, his eyes nearly bursting with rage. He had reached an agreement with a local jeweler to sink M Group, but the result was the opposite. Song Shuangtian’s company stock skyrocketed, and netizens were demanding a marriage certificate.

In a fit of rage, Song Chuang smashed a vase. Why could Ji Mingxue take his wife’s company and now take his daughter too? It was okay; he still had an Alpha son.

A knock came at the door. A delivery rider handed him a thermal bag. It was light. Song Chuang tore it open. A stray object fell to the floor. It was a finger with a ring on it. It was his illegitimate son’s finger.

Song Chuang screamed. Who had found him? He slumped to the ground, his head spinning. Today it was a finger. What was next? His head? His son was currently in Europe. He could not think further.

The nightmare did not end. Every few days, he received another finger. It only stopped when Song Chuang was rushed to the hospital after a massive heart attack. When he woke up, he was no longer in the country.

“The matter is settled,” a voice said on the phone.

Song Shuangtian replied, “The money will be transferred to your account.”

Song Shuangtian tossed her phone aside. She had requested an eye for an eye. This was her first time doing something like this, and she was often jolted awake by nightmares of her childhood. Her father had once trampled her mother’s estate. Now, she would not allow anyone who posed a threat to Guanguan to exist.

“It is heat season again.”

The Omega injected a cold dose into her body. Her eyes grew hazy. So annoying. Ji Mingxue was not here. She unbuttoned her shirt and wrapped her body in a blanket. She did not know how to make herself happy, so she opened a website to learn. Her sighs and the wind outside melted into the steam.

“Ji Mingxue.”

Is work really that busy? If I do not look for you, you will not come looking for me? Song Shuangtian bit her lower lip, holding back tears.

“I have received the keys. Thanks.”

Ji Mingxue hung up. She had obtained a house gift contract from Song Chuang. She stood before the dilapidated small building where Song Shuangtian once lived. The windows were shattered, and the furniture was covered in mold.

Lying in the path was a white rabbit plushie with a footprint on it. Ji Mingxue picked it up and patted away the dust. She had an identical one. On a sudden impulse, she dialed Song Shuangtian’s number.

It rang for a long time.

Ji Mingxue teased, “What is the Chairman busy with? Guess where I am?”

A suppressed sob came from the phone. “You, come here and bite me, quickly. I am about to break.”

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