After the System Called Me Mom, My Arch-Nemesis Omega Fell for Me - Chapter 1

Year 2022

“Ding…dong! Alipay has received 3,000 yuan.”

Lu Lingzhi checked it several times, even using her slender fingers to count the digits. “Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands… thousands.”

She blinked in disbelief. Thinking there might be something wrong with the way she opened the app, she muttered to herself, “My eyes must be playing tricks on me. Definitely.”

She covered the screen with her hand, reopened it, and finally confirmed that there was indeed only 3,000 yuan for the month.

She grabbed her phone and dialed her sister’s overseas number.

Lu Lingzhi thought about how her sister’s living expenses abroad were in the six figure range. Yet here she was, stuck with 3,000. Was she a 3,000 yuan workhorse? She was the second young lady of the Lu family, one of Yun City’s wealthiest households!

The family fortune belonged to her sister.

No, it belonged to both of them.

So, why did she have to live like this? A fierce fighting spirit ignited in Lu Lingzhi’s heart. She clenched her fists and cheered for herself, she was determined to take back what she had lost.

The call finally connected after a long wait.

“Hello,” came a voice as refreshing as a spring breeze.

“Big Sis! It’s your cutest, most lovable little sister, of course,” Lu Lingzhi said, putting on a flattering face. Her voice was so sweet it practically dripped honey. “I’m calling to pay my respects. How are things in the US? Is the jet lag hard on you? I miss you so much!”

The eldest Lu sister remained unmoved. “Get to the point.”

“No big deal, I just missed you.”

“Then look at the family photo more often,” her sister replied.

“Ahem, Sis, you really are the mind-reader in my heart. I actually do have one teeny-tiny thing to ask,” Lu Lingzhi cleared her throat, trying to sound as pitiful as possible. “It’s just… the living allowance was supposed to be 30k. How did it become 3k? Were you just too busy and forgot?”

A humble little deer begging for food online this was likely the result of bloodline suppression.

Her sister said heartlessly, “It’s 3,000. Originally, Mom didn’t want to give you a single penny. I was the one who pleaded for you.”

Not a single penny? Doesn’t your conscience hurt?

“Is our family bankrupt? No… I haven’t seen any debt collectors. Could it be…” A bolt of lightning crackled through Lu Lingzhi’s mind. “So that’s it! I’m not your biological sister. I’m a fake heiress! I was a free gift from a phone plan, or maybe you found me in a trash can on a dark and stormy night!”

The line went dead silent for three seconds.

Hearing her sister’s silence, Lu Lingzhi sniffled and spoke with a heavy heart, “Sister, now that things have come to this, I have a secret buried deep in my heart to tell you. During those three days we shared a bed, holding you, feeling your warmth, smelling your fragrance and pheromones… I realized my feelings for you aren’t sisterly at all. I have fallen deeply in love with you. In these few days since you left for Harvard, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep…”

“Stop.” The eldest Lu sister’s skin crawled, especially as she noticed a group of nearby Chinese students looking like they had just overheard the most explosive family drama. “You can’t eat or sleep because the food is bad and you have no money.”

She was terrified of this drama queen act. Clearly, she was scared to death by her sister’s shamelessness. Lu Lingzhi would say anything for money.

After all, Lu the Second’s motto was: Raise everyone else poorly, but raise yourself rich.

A dollar from you, a dollar from him, a dollar from her and I’ll be a self-made billionaire.

“I don’t care what your orientation is. Mine is Alpha. We are biological sisters.” Her sister then briefly explained why the 30k was withheld. “You bought a million yuan Bearbrick that dropped in value immediately. You bought three million in Bitcoin and got liquidated. Your two million in US stocks are falling. The nearly ten million you put into robotics and AI is also down. And this summer, you spent five million on the Labubu series money you ‘borrowed’ from me two years ago. You knew you were in trouble, so you ran off to the Tibetan Plateau and didn’t come back until school started.”

“Trust me, Labubu will definitely go viral! My tech stocks will definitely take off!”

“I believe tech stocks will take off. Please just control your hands and stop day trading. Reflect on your actions at university. Bye.”

Don’t hang up!

My living expenses!

My allowance!

“Do you have another sister? Ha! Which little vixen has bewitched your heart?” Lu Lingzhi became emotional. Thinking about someone else spending her sister’s money felt like they were spending her money. She reminded herself not to be unreasonable; she had to be more “green tea” and play the victim to scam the money out.

Thinking about competing with those “vixens” for favor, her peach-blossom eyes instantly filled with mist. With a trembling, tearful voice, she sobbed, “I am your own flesh and blood sister! Have you forgotten the vows you made to me? You said you’d treat me well. Do you really have the heart to leave me here in the capital…”

“Beep…beep…beep…” She was met with a heartless busy signal.

The emotions Lu Lingzhi had just brewed were abruptly cut off.

Since she’s heartless, I’ll create some public pressure.

She posted a picture to her WeChat Moments. It was a photo of her eating a five yuan bowl of braised beef instant noodles and a cheap lemonade, with a background she had Photoshopped to look like a milk tea shop workspace.

Look how hardworking I am; I even taught myself Photoshop.

She set the visibility so only her sister, her mother, her “Mommy,” her sister’s secretary, her mother’s assistant, and her Mommy’s secretary could see it. It was better if the three secretaries saw it.

The caption read: The humble life of Little Lu at university.

“Alipay has received 500 yuan.”

Her sister’s overseas call came roaring back. “Spend it sparingly. Don’t romanticize your ‘suffering.’ You and I have only sisterly affection, nothing romantic. If you dare say anything else that makes people misunderstand our relationship, I’ll let you know that a ‘big sister is like a mother’ and spare the rod, spoil the child.”

Five hundred bucks. It was a drop in the bucket, but money was money.

Lu Lingzhi couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly.

Ever the optimist, she began to pour on the flattery, singing in her unique voice: “Oh, dear my sister, my love for you is like a mighty river…”

Her sister: “…”

The call hung up again.

Holding her phone, she stood at the grand, imposing gate of the university. The autumn sun felt warm on her skin, but it couldn’t dispel the frost in her heart. Three thousand five hundred yuan that was her entire budget for the next month.

Lu Lingzhi looked up at the sky, feeling as though her life had reached its darkest hour.

Just then, the massive electronic campus announcement screen nearby buzzed to life, catching her eye. The screen glowed with vibrant colors as it scrolled through the latest campus news. A photo suddenly occupied the entire screen.

The girl in the photo had a bright, dazzling smile. Her simple white dress seemed to glow in the sunlight, radiating youth.

Below it, in large red characters:

【Warm Congratulations to Lu Lingzhi from the Finance Department (Year 2) for being crowned the School’s Omega Belle.】

Seeing this was a blessing in disguise. She had finally become the school belle. Finally! She was no longer the perennial runner up on the beauty rankings. The corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably. She straightened her back, feeling as if the whole world had turned a spotlight on her.

She, Lu Lingzhi, had finally risen.

Then…

Her joy lasted less than three seconds.

The snippets of conversation from people passing by hit her like a bucket of cold water.

“Did you hear? The school belle from the Medical University across the street is a total goddess.”

“Is she prettier than the Lu belle?”

“Tsk, they aren’t even in the same league. She’s gentle and unforgettable. A true ‘cool’ goddess.”

“What’s her name?”

“Something Jiang, I think. From the coastal city, Yun City… Jiang something Yue.”

“…”

The brilliant smile on Lu Lingzhi’s face froze instantly. An extremely bad premonition tangled around her heart like vines.

Her straightened back seemed to deflate. Her “highlight moment” was extinguished.

Yun City? Surname Jiang?

Jiang Mingyue? Wasn’t she supposed to be at BU in the States?

“Ding-ding!”

Lu Lingzhi saw a WeChat notification. It was one of her roommates and former high school classmate, Ji Yunyan.

【Ji Yunyan: Lu the Second, I’m buying you Starbucks to celebrate you being the school belle! [Flower emoji]】

Starbucks

Ji Yunyan ordered her a Caramel Waffle Crunch Frappuccino. It looked sickeningly sweet. Ji Yunyan knew about Lu the Second being punished by her family. She even thoughtfully ordered a few pieces of delicate cake and piled them in front of Lu Lingzhi, sweets usually improved one’s mood.

“Here, eat up.” Ji Yunyan took a spoonful of cake herself, her gaze drifting toward the busy street outside. Suddenly, she paused and pointed her fork across the road. “Lu the Second, look. Isn’t that Jiang Mingyue?”

Hearing that name, Lu Lingzhi turned her gaze toward the street. However, as if fate were playing a joke, a sleek Porsche 911 slid past at that exact moment, perfectly blocking her view

After the Porsche drove away, the sidewalk was filled only with the hurried figures of passing strangers.

Where was any sign of Jiang Mingyue?

“…”

Lu Lingzhi blinked, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. Was that dazed expression tinged with a hint of subtle, unnoticeable disappointment? “Nothing there.” She withdrew her gaze, her voice sounding a bit muffled as she lowered her head to poke at the whipped cream in her cup.

“Oh, maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me.” Ji Yunyan shrugged, not paying it much mind. “Anyway, things are finally looking up. You and Jiang Mingyue have finally met at the peak you’re at two different universities, and you both became school belles. You aren’t the ‘perennial runner-up’ on the beauty rankings anymore.”

So, Jiang Mingyue hadn’t gone to BU for university.

She and Jiang Mingyue had been schoolmates from elementary through high school. From middle school to high school, Jiang Mingyue had taken first place on the school beauty rankings every single time, leaving Lu Lingzhi stuck in second.

Who could blame them when Jiang Mingyue was the “cool and abstinent” type? Most people found that style pure and harmless the image of a well-behaved, sensible girl. Meanwhile, Lu Lingzhi was the “bright and haughty” type; one look and you knew she was a troublemaker.

A few minutes later, Ji Yunyan’s phone vibrated urgently, accompanied by the honk of a car horn outside. She looked up and saw that the Porsche that had just driven off had somehow circled back and was now parked at the curb.

“Oh, my stepmom is here.” Ji Yunyan grabbed her bag, an apologetic look on her face. “Lu the Second, I’ve gotta head out first.”

As she pushed open the glass door, a gust of damp, cool air swirled in. Looking up, the previously overcast sky was now drizzling, and cold raindrops pelted Ji Yunyan’s head unceremoniously.

“Damn, it really is raining.” She let out a low cry, shrinking her neck and darting through the rain to pull open the car door, diving into the warm, dry passenger seat of the Porsche.

A few seconds later, she hopped back out like a nimble rabbit, braving the light rain to rush back to the Starbucks entrance. She shoved an umbrella into Lu Lingzhi’s hand. “Here! This is the umbrella you gave me last time. I’m returning it now.”

Lu Lingzhi took the umbrella it was the one from her family’s Rolls-Royce. “Don’t be late for morning study tomorrow!”

“Got it! I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow. WeChat me what you want to eat.” Ji Yunyan’s voice drifted back over the sound of the rain and the engine as she disappeared into the Porsche once more.

The car soon merged into traffic, its taillights tracing two blurry red streaks through the curtain of rain.

Being a day student must be nice.

Lu Lingzhi was left alone in the shop. She watched the pedestrians outside opening their umbrellas and hurrying along. Vehicles cut water trails across the wet pavement, kicking up small sprays. The noise outside the glass felt distant and hazy.

She slowly finished the last piece of cake on her plate, one bite at a time. Then, she picked up her slightly melted Frappuccino and took a long sip. The rain outside seemed to have let up slightly, turning from steady lines into a fine, dense mist.

She opened the umbrella Ji Yunyan had left, pushed open the door, and stepped into the humid rain. The cool, moist air hit her face, carrying the scent of earth and the city.

After walking only a few steps, a man suddenly burst out of a nearby scratch off lottery shop. He waved a ticket in his hand, dancing excitedly in the drizzle. His voice was loud enough to drown out the rain: “I won! Haha! I won! The jackpot! This is great!!!”

Truly, human joys and sorrows are not shared.

Even though the thought of becoming an overnight millionaire was absurd, she stopped in her tracks and walked into the lottery shop anyway. She looked at the dazzling array of scratch-offs. The clerk asked, “What do you need?”

In the past, she wouldn’t have blinked at buying ten books of tickets at once. Now, she had enough in her pocket for maybe six individual tickets. She never thought she’d see the day she’d be worrying about money.

“Can I ask how much that man just won?”

“10,000 yuan. Of course, we have one ticket here that’s rumored to be worth 100,000. Would you like to buy a book and try your luck, miss?”

What an enticing marketing tactic.

But I have no money. A single penny can bring a hero to their knees.

Lu Lingzhi walked back out holding her umbrella. Suddenly, a child bumped into her, and a small Guan Gong statue fell out of her backpack. It was about the size of a palm, with a heavy vintage feel.

She had obtained this while praying to the God of Wealth on the Tibetan Plateau. Her wish had been simple:

Become a billionaire before graduating university. Make me the youngest and strongest national richest person of the post-00s generation. Of course, it can’t be through inheritance. My Mom, Mommy, and Sister must live to be a hundred. Also, let me have a passionate love affair. I hope I’m their first love, and that they are handsome, rich, virtuous, capable, and dote on me.

After she finished praying and was leaving, she had inexplicably stepped on this Guan Gong statue. The lama at the temple said it was fate and gave it to her.

The moment her fingertip touched the space between the statue’s eyebrows…

Tick… Tick…

The sound of an old-fashioned pocket watch ticking rang out abruptly and eerily in her ear, seemingly piercing directly through her eardrums and drowning out the rain and the noise of distant cars.

[Binding confirmed. Host identity: Lu Lingzhi. Congratulations, you have successfully bound the ‘Time Reset’ system.]

“Time… Reset?” Lu Lingzhi muttered to herself. She asked excitedly, “Does it mean what I think it means? Like, I can go back to the past?”

[Yes, my host. However, my current function only allows for traveling back within the last thirty minutes.]

Lu Lingzhi asked cautiously, “Are you lying to me?”

[Absolutely not.]