After the System Called Me Mom, My Arch-Nemesis Omega Fell for Me - Chapter 12

“Evidence?” Ji Yunyan snorted, grabbing another spicy wing. “My eyes are the evidence! Do you know how many people have tried to confess to Jiang Mingyue over the past three years? From basketball captains to piano prodigies, she treats them all like air. But with you? She pushed you, sure, but then she basically vanished from the social scene. That’s not guilt, Er-er, that’s lingering feelings.”

Lu Lingzhi took a slow sip of water, trying to cool the literal fire on her cheeks. “Your imagination is big enough to host a film festival. She’s just… complicated.”

“Complicated? No, she’s a target,” Ji Yunyan leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Think about it. Why would she let you scratch and rub her face today? If any other Alpha touched her like that, she’d probably have them arrested for assault. But you? You even told her to close her eyes so you could ‘hit’ her, and she did it.”

The “Sucker” Theory

Inside Lu Lingzhi’s mind, the System was practically doing backflips.

[System: Mama! Mama! Look at the data! Your heart rate spiked to 120 bpm when you remembered the kiss. Admit it, we aren’t just eating her soft rice; we’re eating her heart! Also, can we open the second bag of KFC? The original recipe is getting cold.]

Shut up, Lu Lingzhi snapped internally.

“She only closed her eyes because she’s a ‘dark, damp female ghost’ who likes to be mistreated,” Lu Lingzhi argued weakly, though even she didn’t believe her own excuse. “It’s a medical student thing. They’re all weird.”

“Right, and I’m the Queen of England,” Ji Yunyan rolled her eyes. She quickly typed back to her stepmother:

[Ji Yunyan: Target is acting like a bashful ostrich. Mention of Jiang Mingyue causes 100% facial flushing. Evidence of ‘Physical Contact’ confirmed. I think Lu Er is the one being ‘tamed’ here.]

The Debt Collection Plan

Lu Lingzhi suddenly stood up, her expression turning from flustered to tragic. “Wait. I just realized something.”

“What? Did you finally realize you’re in love?” Ji Yunyan teased.

“No,” Lu Lingzhi gritted her teeth, clutching her phone. “I forgot to make her reimburse me for the hospital fees! I spent my sister’s money on her check-up and didn’t even get a kickback! I’m a failure as a villainess!”

Ji Yunyan stared at her, a piece of chicken mid-air. “You… you’re worried about hospital fees when you just had a romantic ‘eye-closing’ session with the school flower?”

“Money is the foundation of romance, Yunyan! Without money, I’m just a Pure Love Warrior with an empty stomach!”

Lu Lingzhi sat back down, scrolling through her contact list. She didn’t have Jiang Mingyue’s new private number, but she had the appointment slip.

“Tomorrow,” Lu Lingzhi muttered, her eyes flashing with a mix of mischief and simulated greed. “Tomorrow at 10:30, she’s picking me up in her car. I’m going to make her pay. For the fees, for the KFC, and for making me look like a fool in front of you.”

A Sudden Realization

As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the dorm, Lu Lingzhi looked at the empty KFC boxes. She thought about Jiang Mingyue’s pale, clear skin under her thumb and the way her scent that intoxicating tulip pheromone, seemed to settle specifically on her.

If Jiang Mingyue really was an “Alpha-rejecting” mystery, and if she really was waiting for Lu Lingzhi at the West Gate tomorrow…

“Hey,” Lu Lingzhi asked suddenly, “What did your stepmother say about the BU enrollment thing again?”

Ji Yunyan smirked, sensing a breakthrough. “She said you two probably had a ‘break-up pact’ to stay in the country. But looking at you now? I think the pact is about to be broken.”

Lu Lingzhi didn’t respond. She just touched her earlobe, which was still warm.