After the System Called Me Mom, My Arch-Nemesis Omega Fell for Me - Chapter 23.1

[The Big Villain Xie Fuyun]: Impossible.

[Lu Lingzhi]: This Young Lady is about to become an A-level Alpha or higher! [Confetti][Confetti][Confetti]. My family genes are so good, I’m definitely going to be a Top-tier Alpha. Pretty badass, right?

[The Big Villain Xie Fuyun]: Even if you become a Top-tier Alpha, does that mean you don’t have to do your classroom quizzes? [Eye-roll.jpg] Instead of wasting time blathering to me, hurry up and do your homework. I don’t know if your brain has water in it; what are you showing off for all day like a total idiot?

Lu Lingzhi stared at that piercing eye-roll emoji, feeling as if she could see Xie Fuyun’s expressionless, grumpy face right through the screen. She let out a cold snort, her finger stabbing the screen even harder:

[Lu Lingzhi]: Oh, are we getting anxious? Is your defense breaking? How does it feel to talk like a sloth at 0.5x speed? [Picking nose emoji]

[The Big Villain Xie Fuyun]: Lu the Second, you little brat, don’t push me to slap you. [Smile][Knife]

[Lu Lingzhi (Extremely Arrogant)]: Come at me then! [Finger beckoning.jpg]. You think I’m scared of you? We’re both Alphas; who’s afraid of whom! [Tongue out]

Lu Lingzhi felt completely refreshed. In the next second, without a moment’s hesitation, she dragged [The Big Villain Xie Fuyun] into her blacklist.

The whole world is quiet. This feels amazing.

On the other end, Xie Fuyun stared at a newly edited classroom quiz file and clicked send.

A glaring red exclamation mark instantly popped up on the screen: [Message failed to send.]

Xie Fuyun: “…”

She stared at that red exclamation mark for three full seconds.

Blacklisted again. She blacklisted me again, again, and again.

Behind her lenses, a storm was silently brewing and compressing in her “peach blossom” eyes. Finally, her finger paused over the contact name. She changed “Lu Lingzhi” to: [Bastard Brat Lu the Second].

Thinking it over, she still felt unsatisfied, so she changed it to: [Beat This Vile Brat Lu the Second To Death And Make Her Do Homework Forever].

Still fuming, Xie Fuyun went to complain to her pinned contact, Chang Xi.

[Xie Fuyun]: Wifey, I’m so angry. I’m seriously going to be driven to death by that little brat Lu the Second. I was doing it for her own good, making her do some homework, and she blacklisted me instead.

Lu Lingzhi couldn’t care less if Xie Fuyun was exploding on the other side of the phone; her mood was so good she could fly.

She excitedly grabbed the doctor’s hand and shook it vigorously up and down: “Doctor, you truly are a divine physician! A miracle worker, Hua Tuo reincarnated, Bian Que reborn! I’m going to send you the biggest, flashiest silk banner immediately!” Her words were incoherent, and her face held a smile so bright it was dazzling.

The doctor said awkwardly, “That… really isn’t necessary.”

Jiang Mingyue watched Lu Lingzhi, who was dancing with joy and offering silk banners just because she was becoming an Alpha, and was completely stunned. She subconsciously rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was hallucinating. She pinched Lu Lingzhi’s cheek, only to get a “What are you doing?” in response.

Is this still the Lu Lingzhi I know?

The Lu Lingzhi who used to face secondary differentiation with a face full of resistance and grievance was now as happy as if she’d won the lottery upon hearing she’d be an Alpha. In just two days, the change was this drastic?

The world is going crazy, it’s enough to make me a little scared.

This was definitely not a normal psychological reaction. Without a word, Jiang Mingyue pulled out her phone and her fingers flew across the hospital’s appointment app.

“Let’s go!” Jiang Mingyue said brooking no argument. She grabbed the arm of Lu Lingzhi, who was still prattling on about silk banners with surprising strength and dragged her out.

“Hey! What? Jiang Mingyue, let go of me! I haven’t finished discussing the banner size and inscription with the doctor yet!” Lu Lingzhi struggled discontentedly. She clung to the doorframe like an octopus, poking half her head back into the office to shout at the doctor: “Doctor, just wait! My banner will definitely arrive, the biggest and flashiest kind!”

“Shut up! Come with me!” Jiang Mingyue’s expression was terrifyingly serious.

Department of Psychology

Lu Lingzhi was inexplicably dragged to the Psychology Department of Beijing General Hospital.

Today’s expert was Chang Xi. Jiang Mingyue looked at her resume: a graduate from the top psychology department of the Medical University, Dean of the School of Psychology, and an expert in adolescent psychological development, gender identity disorders, and stress responses to major life events.

Chang Xi looked to be in her thirties, with a gentle temperament and insightful eyes. She looked at Jiang Mingyue, who was clearly leading the situation, then at Lu Lingzhi, and spoke softly: “Hello to you both, I am Chang Xi. What kind of issues would you like to consult about?”

Jiang Mingyue remembered, this was Dr. Chang who had helped her clear the room when she had hypoglycemia last week.

Before Lu Lingzhi could speak, Jiang Mingyue cut in with a serious tone: “Hello, Dr. Chang. It’s like this: my classmate, Lu Lingzhi, has always been an Omega. But just now, she was diagnosed as being about to undergo secondary differentiation into an Alpha. The key issue is that she used to be very resistant to becoming an Alpha and loved being an Omega. However, after hearing the result today, she wasn’t sad at all; instead, she’s been abnormally excited and happy.”

Chang Xi nodded slightly and turned her gaze to Lu Lingzhi. “Miss Lu, can we chat? Why did you like being an Omega so much before? Was it because you liked someone who was an Alpha? Did you hope to be an Omega to be compatible with them?”

This was a very common psychological motivator.

Lu Lingzhi shook her head like a rattle and answered decisively: “Nope.”

“Then why did you like being an Omega before?” Dr. Chang asked persuasively.

Lu Lingzhi thought for a moment and answered honestly: “Being an Omega means being the group favorite! Everyone gives in to me and dotes on me. I don’t have to carry too much pressure. I can act spoiled or willful whenever I want. My whole family has no time to spend money, so I spend it for them. Would you want this kind of blessing?” She turned to Jiang Mingyue. “Do you want it?”

Jiang Mingyue: “…”

Lu Lingzhi even looked a bit proud. “But the situation is different now! My sister is the family heir. As the younger sister, I naturally have to take on the heavy responsibilities of the family. I can tell the family that I can share their burdens.”

My living allowance will definitely have to go back up.

Maybe it’ll even double. I’ll inherit everything from my sister, except for my sister herself.

I can finally drop that internet catchphrase:

“Sister, the struggle for the succession has always been like this, the winner takes all.”

“Take your shares and funds, take your cat, and get ready to be married off.”

“Only me and my cat, Suisui, can be the masters of this house.”

“Hahahaha!” Lu Lingzhi was so immersed in her own fantasy that she laughed too hard. Suddenly seeing the white lab coats, she awkwardly shut her mouth, having laughed so much she choked. “Cough cough cough… Sorry, I choked on my own spit.”

Jiang Mingyue: “…”

The expression on her face was beyond astonishment, it was pure horror. Was this still the pampered, willful Second Miss Lu who only cared about her allowance and school beauty rankings? This level of awareness and responsibility felt like she’d been possessed by some grand, heroic ideology.

After hearing Lu Lingzhi’s speech, Chang Xi’s gaze behind her glasses shifted subtly toward the bewildered Jiang Mingyue.

[The System’s cheerful voice sounded:] Ding! Mama, Dr. Chang’s favorability toward you has increased by 100 points. Xie Fuyun’s favorability toward you has decreased by 60 points, and your favorability toward Xie Fuyun has decreased by 40.

[Lu Lingzhi (Proudly to herself)]: Hmph, let Xie Fuyun’s stay negative! Dr. Chang has great taste. By the way, how many people’s favorability can I see now?

[System]: Currently visible targets: Jiang Mingyue, Xie Fuyun, Dr. Chang, Ji Yunyan, Su Xi. Other characters are being unlocked. Congratulations on reaching -100 favorability with Xie Fuyun, you’ve achieved the ‘Mutual Loathing’ achievement.

Suddenly, Lu Lingzhi’s phone rang. It was her sister calling from overseas.

She immediately stood up and waved at Jiang Mingyue: “It’s my sister. I’ll take this.” After saying that, she skipped out of the room, and the office fell silent.

Only Dr. Chang and Jiang Mingyue remained.

Chang Xi looked toward the door where Lu Lingzhi had disappeared, then at Jiang Mingyue sitting opposite her, a gentle, knowing smile appearing on her face. She gestured for Jiang Mingyue to sit and spoke with insightful calm: “You like her, don’t you?”

Jiang Mingyue froze, reflexively protesting: “I don’t.”

But her eyes uncontrollably drifted toward the door. Only after Lu Lingzhi’s figure had completely vanished at the end of the hallway did she withdraw her gaze and sit back down.

Chang Xi smiled, not pressing further on the “like,” but instead throwing out another viewpoint that caught Jiang Mingyue off guard: “Then do you know that Student Lu actually likes you a lot? Or rather, she cares about you and respects you specifically? It’s just that she doesn’t seem to have fully realized it herself yet.”

Jiang Mingyue snapped her head up to look at Chang Xi, her eyes filled with shock. She pressed: “How… how did you find out? How does she care about me or respect me?”

“Observation.” Chang Xi pushed up her glasses, her gaze wise and gentle. “Usually, people who come for consultations regarding gender identity or major transitions especially young people like her facing a total identity shift like secondary differentiation are anxious, lost, resistant, or even come alone, unwilling to let others see their vulnerability.”

Her gaze swept over the empty doorway as if she could still see Lu Lingzhi’s joyful appearance.

“And her? She was dragged here by you, and through the whole process, she didn’t show the slightest resistance or unease. Instead, she was laughing. That kind of laughter wasn’t a forced smile, it was genuine, relaxed, and even a bit dependent. She trusts you and feels safe around you, so even when you think she’s being ‘abnormal,’ she doesn’t bother to defend herself.”

Chang Xi used a more sentimental metaphor: “How does the saying go? ‘The deepest love is to laugh with you, be crazy with you, and do things that others find incomprehensible with you.’ She might not understand what romantic love is yet, but in her subconscious, she’s willing to play along with your antics even something as bizarre to her as being dragged to see a psychologist.”

Listening to Chang Xi’s words, Jiang Mingyue’s fingers curled unconsciously. It felt like something had lightly bumped against her heart, a bit sore, yet with an unspeakable throb.

When my blood sugar was low, Lu the Second rushed over to see me immediately, paid my medical bills, and even shared her KFC. Even after being apart for two years, she still remembered my favorite chocolate.

“Then can you tell me why she laughed so hard she choked?”

Chang Xi’s eyes seemed to peer through everything. “She was definitely thinking: ‘Sister, the succession struggle has always been like this.’ ‘It’s my turn to sit in the heir’s seat.’ ‘Hurry up and increase this Young Lady’s allowance.'”

Jiang Mingyue asked weakly, “So… can her allowance be increased?”

Chang Xi said, “Definitely not. She’s becoming an Alpha, not a deity that needs to be enshrined.”

Jiang Mingyue fell silent for a moment. She didn’t respond to the analysis of “liking” but instead brought up a more realistic problem that troubled her: “Dr. Chang, to be honest… my phone number and WeChat have been blacklisted by her for two years.” Jiang Mingyue’s tone carried a hint of helplessness and defeat. “Do you have a way to make her add me back?”

“About that…” Chang Xi dragged out her tone, teasingly. She threw out a proposal that left Jiang Mingyue dumbfounded: “It’s not hard, but it’s not simple either. However, I have one condition.”

Jiang Mingyue looked at her in confusion.

Chang Xi smiled slightly and said something shocking: “You should change your major and come to our School of Psychology. Become my student.”

“Huh?” Jiang Mingyue was completely stunned, wondering if she had misheard.

“That’s right.” Chang Xi nodded, her tone persuasive and full of allure. “Look, you don’t even understand why she cries one moment and laughs the next. How are you going to get her to listen to you and stop blacklisting you in the future?”

She pointed to the door: “Psychology especially developmental and personality psychology can help you truly read her. Read the heart beneath that ‘tsundere’ shell that she hasn’t even figured out herself, and understand the logic behind her seemingly unreasonable behavior…”

Chang Xi paused meaningfully, leaving the rest unsaid, but the implication was clear.

“You want her to do whatever you say?” Chang Xi smiled like a cunning old fox. “Besides, over in Clinical Medicine, you’ve rejected Jian Cheng multiple times. The Jian family runs hotels in Beijing, and Jian Cheng’s uncle, Dean Jian, is a high-ranking official at the Medical University. You might not be allowed to graduate.”

Jiang Mingyue: “…”

Change majors? Study psychology? Just to understand her? And to get away from Jian Cheng at the same time.

The proposal was absurdly ridiculous. Yet, Jiang Mingyue’s heart skipped a beat uncontrollably. A thought sprouted like a vine: It doesn’t seem completely impossible?

In the Hallway

“What is it, Sister?”

On the other end of the phone, Lu Ningzhi’s voice carried clear pleasure: “Sister, I heard you’re becoming an Alpha? That’s wonderful news! So, regarding your living allowance…”

Thump, thump.

Lu Lingzhi’s heart was beating very fast. She was finally going to hear about the allowance increase. Big Sis, say it! Give it back to me, give it back!!!

“…It’s still the same as before: three thousand.” Lu Ningzhi’s tone was light, intentionally teasing her sister’s temperament. “You’re an Alpha now, you need to learn to be independent and learn financial management. Alphas shouldn’t rely on their families.”

Screw that.

She was going to be tortured into madness by her sister sooner or later. But her eyes darted around, and she quickly agreed: “If you won’t give it to me, then don’t. I have President Xie.”

“You’ve met President Xie in person?” Lu Ningzhi sounded surprised. “With President Xie and Dr. Chang taking care of you, I can rest easy. Call her ‘Little Mom’, ‘Little Mommy’ is more affectionate.”

“The Big Villain and Dr. Chang are a couple?!” Lu Lingzhi was completely floored. The gentle Dr. Chang actually… “How did Dr. Chang fall for that Big Villain?”

“Why are you calling her the Big Villain? That’s your Little Mom.” Lu Ningzhi lectured her first, then instructed: “It’s not too late to know now. While you’re in Beijing, listen to President Xie and Dr. Chang obediently. Do whatever they tell you to do, and don’t cause any trouble for me.”

“She said when I was born, she was recognized as my godmother.”

“When you were born, you came into the world with a Pixiu jade pendant, and you kept crying. Only when you saw Xie Fuyun did you stop. Xie Fuyun also has a Pixiu jade pendant. A master fortune-teller said the two of you have a predestined bond from a past life.”

Lu Lingzhi reached up and touched the warm, cool Pixiu jade pendant she had worn close to her skin since childhood.

“Don’t you think that’s ridiculous? Born with a jade pendant? Am I Jia Baoyu? Did Mom’s hospital check-up go wrong? Why didn’t the master just claim I’m a deity reincarnated?”

“Did you have an extremely strong sense of possessiveness over Xie Fuyun when you were little? Mom said when I was two and you were one, President Xie hugged me first and then you. You reached out and slapped President Xie across the face, and then you ended up peeing all over her.”

“…Am I that unhygienic?”

I actually slapped Xie Fuyun and peed on her? Was I that brave? Wow, I’m so obsessed with my childhood self. So cool.

“Having a titan of the education, academic, and business worlds as your godmother is a blessing others couldn’t even beg for. You should be laughing in secret. When you differentiate into an Alpha, you’ll definitely enter a rut. You’d better ask Dr. Chang for things to watch out for. I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait a second, who did I like more when I was little?”

“Besides Mom and Mommy, you liked Dr. Chang Xi the most. During your first birthday ‘grabbing test,’ you grabbed Dr. Chang. You’d just stare at her, neither crying nor making a fuss just drooling, acting like a fan-girl, and smiling sillily. She bought dozens of your bibs and pacifiers. Your favorite thing was sitting in President Xie’s lap while listening to Dr. Chang tell you stories.”

“Why didn’t I sit in Chang Xi’s lap?”

“According to Mom’s observation, it was to prevent President Xie from coming to see me. Perhaps you knew that Mom and Mommy were shared, but President Xie and Dr. Chang were yours alone.”

The call ended.

For my sister’s sake, I’ll pull you out of the blacklist, you Big Villain.

[Lu Lingzhi (smiling)]: My sister told me to think more about your good points. After thinking for a while, I realized your good points are irreplaceable. I am also irreplaceable to you, we are the best in the world together. So don’t be petty with a little kid like me.

[The Big Villain Xie Fuyun]: [New Classroom Quiz File]. There are two test papers here, finish them and give them to me.

[Lu Lingzhi (Refusing)]: I won’t, I won’t!

[The Big Villain Xie Fuyun]: Have you forgotten I’m a professor at Beijing University? I’ll come over tomorrow to teach you personally. I hope you still have this arrogant attitude then. Don’t be late.

Lu Lingzhi immediately retracted her previous message.

[The Big Villain Xie Fuyun]: Too late.

Lu Lingzhi stared at those two words. Xie Fuyun, you think you’re so smug? You think you’re so powerful? The ancestors said all things have a counter. I’ll just go find the one who counters you and let her seek justice for me.