After the Nerd Marked the Top Omega - Chapter 30.2

After a moment of silence, Pei Yunci reminded her, “You can’t hide it from me.”

After the marking, as a high-level Omega, she could perceive emotions through pheromones.

When far apart, the emotions might not be so clear, but now that the two were face-to-face, she knew the Alpha’s state of mind perfectly.

The citrus-scented pheromones were full of grievance, much of their sweetness had diminished, and they were desperately trying to blend into the scent of Platycodon grandiflorus, like an ostrich trying to bury its head and hide.

Fang Xu pursed her lips and said, “Actually, I’m okay. It’s not that sad…”

As soon as she finished speaking, she inexplicably felt a sting in her nose, and her eyes instantly reddened.

Fang Xu lowered her head even further, not wanting the person beside her to see.

Unfortunately, Pei Yunci did not grant her wish.

“Look up.”

For once, Fang Xu didn’t obey, remaining motionless in her seat.

Pei Yunci looked at the crown of her head for a moment and said, “It’s okay. Cry if you want to.”

Fang Xu, who had been holding back, could no longer restrain her tears, and they spilled from her eyes.

She actually didn’t think she was that upset; after all, she had been able to delete the comments one by one with a straight face. But after being comforted, the grievance in her heart felt like it was overflowing, and she couldn’t hold it back.

Tears dripped onto the back of her hand, each drop seeming to carry sadness.

Pei Yunci’s voice softened. “Can you look up now?”

Even with her head down, she was still in a messy state, and her sobbing couldn’t be hidden. Fang Xu lifted her head and met the beautiful eyes of the person in front of her.

Her eyes were bloodshot, tears still clung to the corners, and her nose was red. Even looking like this, she could still claim she wasn’t sad.

Idiot.

Pei Yunci felt that these two words were practically tailor-made for the girl.

She handed over a tissue and said, “Wipe your eyes.”

Fang Xu took it, then remembered that the other woman had handed her a tissue the very first time they met.

She wasn’t a frequent crier, but the few times she did cry, Pei Yunci was always there.

“…”

The more often one loses face, the less embarrassing it seems to get, Fang Xu thought. Although she still wanted to dig a hole and bury herself right now, the feeling wasn’t as intense as before.

After a moment, Pei Yunci looked at the person who was still silently crying and asked, “Are you that upset?”

Fang Xu shook her head. “I can’t seem to stop crying, but my mood is much better.”

Having a good cry had relieved much of the pent-up frustration from the past few days. As for the tears, she didn’t know why, but they just wouldn’t stop.

After saying that, she added, “Are you okay?”

Pei Yunci’s eyebrows twitched slightly. “Why suddenly ask that?”

The girl was still crying, yet she was asking if she was alright.

Fang Xu felt a little embarrassed, wiped her tears, and said, “You said last time that our emotions would influence each other.”

Her distress would also make the other person uncomfortable.

“I’m fine, better than last time,” Pei Yunci said, then asked, “Have you guessed who did this?”

Fang Xu replied, “I’ve thought about it.”

“Tell me.”

As if she had been suddenly called upon by a teacher in class, Fang Xu was still a little nervous. She went over the details in her mind before speaking: “First, someone who also makes games and wants to get on the newcomer ranking list. Second, a company that wants to buy my game.”

Pei Yunci nodded. “Which one do you think is more likely?”

Fang Xu said, “A game company.”

Pei Yunci: “Why?”

“If it were someone making games just like me, they wouldn’t need to spend money hiring trolls. The newcomer ranking list doesn’t get much traffic. Compared to hiring trolls, buying promotions would definitely be more useful.”

As Fang Xu analyzed the situation, her speaking pace was steady, neither fast nor slow, and she no longer showed her usual nervousness, instead exhibiting the unique composure of a young student.

“But a game company is different. I’ve delayed for a while, so they might think I don’t want to sell or that I’ve sold it to another company. Games value novelty; only the first version brings a fresh feeling. Games released later will naturally have much less traffic.”

Given this, the solution is simple: ruin the game before it becomes widely popular. Then, after an interval of two or three months, the company can release a similar game and claim to be the originator; no one will remember her Operating a Snack Stall.

In a moment like this, the girl wasn’t so naive.

Pei Yunci felt a rare sense of satisfaction and asked, “Do you know which company it is?”

Fang Xu was silent for a moment, then said, “Guangwen.”

It was also the first company that approached her to buy the game.

Pei Yunci’s investigation also pointed to this company. She asked, “How did you figure it out?”

“After these comments appeared, I messaged every game company that contacted me, asking if they were still considering buying the game. Most companies’ prices hadn’t changed, but only Guangwen said that their recent corporate plans had shifted, and they were temporarily no longer considering Operating a Snack Stall.”

The cost of ruining the game was probably even less than a hundred thousand yuan.

After speaking, Fang Xu added, “However, I don’t have concrete evidence, it’s just a guess.”

“A good guess,” Pei Yunci said. “It was indeed Guangwen.”

Perhaps because Fang Xu was just a university student, Guangwen Company hadn’t bothered to cover their tracks, making it easy to find out with a simple investigation.

Fang Xu blinked. “You… investigated it?”

“Yes, I also instructed the trolls to stop,” Pei Yunci confirmed. “What, are you going to be mad at me again?”

Last time, when she gave her a bank card, the girl had uncharacteristically thrown a tantrum with a stubborn attitude.

Fang Xu immediately shook her head. “No, I’m not angry.”

Pei Yunci had deliberately waited for her to finish her analysis before mentioning her own investigation, instead of giving her the answer directly. Besides, she felt she was partly at fault for what happened last time.

Every time she recalled it, she wondered if she had been influenced by pheromones; she hadn’t felt quite like herself then.

“Really not?” Pei Yunci asked again.

The girl’s thoughts were hidden deeper than anyone’s; if the citrus scent hadn’t changed last time, she might not have guessed it.

“Really not,” Fang Xu said. “I should thank you.”

By now, she understood why the other woman had suddenly asked her to come to the apartment.

Pei Yunci went to open the door, accepted the takeout ordered by her assistant, and then said, “I should thank you too.”

Fang Xu didn’t speak, but her clear, moist eyes showed her confusion.

Pei Yunci made her point clearer: “Thank you for helping me see a company clearly.”

Guangwen was quite well-known in the gaming industry, and after Pei Corporation expanded its game pod business, it had also been in contact with Guangwen Game Company. However, Guangwen would likely not appear on Pei Corporation’s cooperation list anymore.

The fact that Guangwen was so proficient suggested this wasn’t the first time they had targeted a game they wanted to acquire. If they could target a small game like this, they might eventually turn around and sabotage their cooperating companies.

There was truly no need to cooperate with a company that had no bottom line.

Fang Xu blinked upon hearing this, and before she could say anything, she heard the other woman speak again.

“Come and eat.”

Without needing to ask, Pei Yunci knew she probably hadn’t eaten dinner yet, having waited in the apartment for her.

“Okay.”

Fang Xu sat down, and only after putting rice in her mouth did she remember she still had something to say.

But on second thought, given Pei Corporation’s status in Jiangcheng, it had many partners and wasn’t obligated to cooperate with Guangwen.

Pei Yunci must have her reasons for doing this.

After dinner, Pei Yunci asked her, “What are your plans next?”

Fang Xu said, “Delete the comments under the game, and then update the game.”

Pei Yunci nodded. “Do you need help?”

Fang Xu smiled slightly, pursing her lips, and shook her head. “I can manage myself.”

Now that things had come to this, she no longer wanted to sell the game to any other company. It was better to keep it in her own hands than have her hard work ruined by others.

“If that’s what you decide.”

The takeout included a complimentary dessert, which Pei Yunci hadn’t touched. She pushed it across the table.

Fang Xu looked at the two portions of dessert in front of her, then at the person opposite her, and hesitantly said, “I’m already full.”

“Take your time.”

“Oh.”

Pei Yunci had already returned to the living room to start working. Since she hadn’t finished eating, Fang Xu felt awkward leaving with it, so she sat down next to her.

She slowly ate the dessert while deleting comments. With the sweet taste, Fang Xu no longer felt the previous distress; her mind was completely focused on when she could possibly finish both portions.

Midway through, Pei Yunci went to the floor-to-ceiling window to take a phone call.

“Are you free tonight? Should we get together?” Du Xing’an asked her.

“Who else?”

Du Xing’an was awkward for a moment, then said, “Just Ji Qingsi, of course.”

After saying that, she added, “Don’t misunderstand, I haven’t reconciled with her yet. It’s just that we haven’t gotten together in a long time.”

Pei Yunci hummed in acknowledgment, her gaze falling on the person in the living room. She lowered her voice and said, “Another day. I don’t have time today.”

Perhaps due to being overly tired these past few days, combined with the recent cry, the girl was leaning against the sofa and had fallen asleep.

“Alright, then call us when you have time,” Du Xing’an reminded her.

Pei Yunci agreed, hung up the phone, and didn’t rush back to the living room; instead, she first replied to Yi Yi’s message.

[Yi Yi: Sister Pei, I just got out of school and saw your message. These comments are on both the game platform and other apps.]

[Yi Yi: But Sister Pei, please don’t tell my sister that I came to you for help! [crying][crying]]

[Pei Yunci: I know. I didn’t tell your sister. The matter is resolved.]

On the other end, Yi Yi’s eyes widened slightly.

That short sentence gave her an exceptional sense of security, and her worried heart calmed down; she didn’t doubt the truth of the statement at all.

[Yi Yi: Thank you, Sister Pei!]

[Pei Yunci: You’re welcome. If either of you runs into trouble later, you can also message me.]

[Yi Yi: Okay!]

[Yi Yi: Cat Hug.gif]

Yi Yi felt that her previous speculation had been confirmed once again.

The two of them definitely shared an “unspeakable” secret.

Pei Yunci had no idea what the child was thinking. Returning to the living room, she softened her movements.

Fang Xu was indeed asleep. There were faint dark circles under her eyes, but she was sleeping soundly. Having cried for quite a while, her eyelids were slightly reddish, still showing traces of tears.

Staring at her for a moment, Pei Yunci saw the girl’s lips move, as if she were murmuring something.

The sound was very faint. She listened quietly for a moment before she could clearly hear what the girl was saying.

“Mom…”

Pei Yunci’s eyelashes fluttered gently.

The poor dear.

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