After the System Called Me Mom, My Arch-Nemesis Omega Fell for Me - Chapter 24

Psychology Department

“Dr. Chang, I still need to think about it,” Jiang Mingyue replied with a polite decline. She glanced at the desk, noticing a cozy photo of Chang Xi and Xie Fuyun taken at a landmark in Yun City.

“Alright. Let’s exchange WeChat then.”

The two added each other. On Chang Xi’s computer, a new patient record appeared, along with a flurry of WeChat messages.

Xie Fuyun: I’m furious, absolutely furious! That little brat Lu Er is going to be the death of me. I was acting in her best interest, asking her to do some homework, and she actually blocked me!

Chang Xi spoke up: “Student Jiang, I have another patient waiting.”

“Understood. Sorry for bothering you.” Jiang Mingyue tactfully stood up to leave, gently closing the clinic door behind her.

Almost the second the door clicked shut, the door on the other side of the office creaked open. Lu Lingzhi slipped in like a nimble little cat, making sure to shut the door softly behind her.

Looking at the returning Lu Lingzhi, Chang Xi’s eyes flickered with a knowing smile. She teased, “Yo, Student Lu, quite clever, aren’t we?”

“Which eye told you I was clever?” Lu Lingzhi retorted stubbornly, though she couldn’t hide the smug glint in her eyes.

“Both of my eyes saw it. You knew I was a professor at the Medical University. Just now, when I offered to take Student Jiang as my disciple, you were afraid I’d leak the questions you’re about to ask. So, you officially registered for a consultation so that I’d be bound by medical ethics. For someone so young, you certainly have a meticulous mind.”

“Hehe.” Lu Lingzhi didn’t feel the slightest bit of embarrassment at being caught. Hearing Chang Xi praise her actually made her feel inexplicably good, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes curving into crescents. “Dr. Chang, my sister said that since I have no relatives in the capital, I can only trust you. You’re so kind, you’ll definitely be biased toward me, right?”

As she spoke, she naturally leaned closer to Chang Xi.

This was the first time she had felt such a sense of closeness toward a stranger Omega. Even though the woman had cared for her during her infancy, those memories had long since blurred.

Looking at the innocent expression deliberately plastered on the bright young face and those expressive eyes, even a heart of stone would have been softened by this “sugar-coated bullet.” Chang Xi found herself utterly defenseless against the Second Miss Lu’s calculated cuteness.

She pinched Lu Lingzhi’s cheek. “Fine, fine, stop flattering me. What do you mean ‘no relatives’? If you have trouble in the capital, you can ask Fuyun for help. She and I are your support system.”

Lu Lingzhi whispered, “Not her. She’s an evil villain.”

“Xie Fuyun?” Chang Xi immediately prepared to take her side. “Did she bully you?”

“It’s not exactly bullying,” Lu Lingzhi thought to herself. Since Chang Xi had the highest favorability toward her, she’d be much easier to talk to than the Great Villain. “It’s just… could you talk to her? I really, really can’t finish three exam papers before 9 PM. If she calls on me in public tomorrow and I can’t answer, I’ll lose so much face! I am the legendary Belle of Jingda University. I have a reputation to maintain, okay?”

Chang Xi nodded, thinking to herself how childish Xie Fuyun was for complaining to her just because Lu Er blocked her.

You just finished complaining, and now she’s here to file a counter-complaint.

But look at how she complains gracefully, with a side of aegyo.

How can you compete with that?

Sorry, Xie Fuyun, I have no immunity to her charms. She’s sick, yet you’re torturing her with three exam papers.

Just consider me blinded by beauty.

Call me the indulgent mother spoiling the daughter.

“Fine. You don’t have to do the homework she assigned. But you still have to do one paper. If she asks, tell her I said so.”

“Yes, sir!” Lu Lingzhi’s face instantly lit up. She gave a playful, non-standard salute, her whole body radiating the joy of a successful scheme. “Guaranteed to finish the assignment! I won’t even hire a ghostwriter.”

What an adorable Alpha ‘Hajimi’ (kitten).

How could Xie Fuyun not handle Lu Er and end up complaining to her instead?

She had told Xie Fuyun many times: don’t be so nitpicky with people, go with the flow a little. Kids these days have very strong rebellious streaks.

[System]: Mama, Chang Xi’s favorability toward you has increased by 40 points. Xie Fuyun’s reputation has decreased by 40 points.

“Alright, Second Miss, stop being silly.” Chang Xi shook her head with a smile, her gaze gentle. “Tell me, what is it really? What was worth going through all these hoops and even registering for an appointment just to ask me? It can’t just be to escape those three papers, can it?”

“I… it’s just…” The brightness from a moment ago was instantly shrouded in a thin mist of embarrassment. Lu Lingzhi lowered her head, her thick eyelashes fluttering like the wings of a startled butterfly.

She looked down, her toes unconsciously scuffing the polished floor, which clearly reflected her current agitation. Her voice was as small as a mosquito’s hum, and after a long stutter, she squeezed out a few words: “Rut… the Rut period… Dr. Chang, you understand.”

Right, right.

Chang Xi understood perfectly.

For this Second Miss, who had been spoiled since childhood, was vibrant, bold, and even a bit arrogant to personally admit her ignorance regarding Alpha physiology and ask for guidance was indeed harder than climbing to heaven.

That unspeakable awkwardness was written all over her flushed cheeks and fidgety posture.

Lu Lingzhi said, “According to the materials I checked, a secondary differentiation requires an Omega for soothing… a temporary marking. I wanted to ask if there’s a way that doesn’t involve temporary marking an Omega.”

“Oh? Why are you so resistant to it?” Chang Xi asked with interest, leaning forward slightly to hear this “little ancestor’s” unique perspective.

Lu Lingzhi explained helplessly, “If I go to an agency to find a newly-differentiated Omega for relief, and I think about how that Omega is giving her first time to a stranger Alpha… and it’s not a one time thing, it requires several sessions. Afterward, the Omega will develop a physiological and psychological dependence on the Alpha who marked her, withdrawal symptoms, I guess.”

“They will instinctively crave that Alpha’s pheromone comfort. But the problem is, many Alphas who give temporary marks aren’t willing to spend the time, energy, or money to soothe a ‘tool’ Omega. At most, the agencies give those poor Omegas cheap inhibitors or stabilizers to forcibly delay their pain. Over time, Omegas with weak immune systems might even get sick.”

“I’m a kind-hearted person. If an Omega actually came to me crying for help, I definitely wouldn’t have the heart to ignore her. But if I meet a malicious Omega who uses that dependency to cause trouble… I understand Omegas do what they must to survive, but wouldn’t I be playing with fire? So, I want to choose drug-based relief. Money isn’t an issue. Prescribe whatever you want, no matter how expensive.”

Chang Xi listened quietly to Lu Lingzhi’s speech. Her smile deepened, and her eyes showed a hint of genuine admiration. Lu Er could be a major headache, but among the “rich second generation” circles of Yun City, her moral compass was exceptionally, almost strangely upright.

She picked up her coffee cup, took a slow sip, and set it back down. “Hmm, your thoughts are quite thorough, and your concerns are valid. How about this: I’ll give you a contact. It would be better if you went to see her, she’s more suited to your situation.”

Chang Xi skillfully typed in a string of numbers and turned her phone screen toward Lu Lingzhi.

The screen clearly displayed: Jiang Mingyue.

Seeing her silence, Chang Xi tested the waters: “Coincidentally, I’ve already set up an appointment for a pheromone compatibility test for you both. Why don’t you go try it out?”

Lu Lingzhi looked like she was about to block the name “Jiang Mingyue” once again.

The amusement in Chang Xi’s eyes deepened as she deliberately used Lu Lingzhi’s own words to tease her: “Eh? Didn’t someone just vow, ‘I have no relatives in the capital, I can only trust you’? She mimicked Lu Lingzhi’s soft, sweet tone before shifting gears. “Oh, so those were all just sweet lies meant to deceive a poor Omega like me? Tsk tsk, so young and already learning how to toy with emotions and trick Omegas? Then I won’t help you. Go back and finish your three exam papers.”

“Who… who’s tricking you?” Lu Lingzhi was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She bristled instantly, her face turning beet red, half from indignation and half from the embarrassment of being called out. “I’ll go, okay? I won’t block her, alright?”

Watching Lu Lingzhi stomp out of the office in a huff, Chang Xi couldn’t help but laugh out loud, shaking her head helplessly. This little ancestor was the living embodiment of “scared yet playful, soft-hearted but stubborn, and incredibly susceptible to reverse psychology.”

How has Jiang Mingyue not managed to handle her yet?

Suddenly, the little ancestor charged back in. She didn’t say a word, but simply reached out a finger and, without permission, hooked it around Chang Xi’s pinky resting on the edge of the desk. She kept a stern, serious face, muttering under her breath, “Pinky swear, promise for a hundred years, whoever changes is a pig.”

Only after finishing this ritual did she let go and emphasize, “Dr. Chang, you have medical ethics. Not a single word of what I told you is allowed to reach Jiang Mingyue’s ears.”

Chang Xi looked at her hooked pinky and then at the girl before her, her heart softening even further. She suppressed her laughter, trying her best to maintain a professional doctor’s expression as she nodded. “Mhm. Dr. Chang has medical ethics. I won’t say a word.”

“Say it three times. Important things must be said three times.”

Chang Xi quickly complied: “I have medical ethics, I have medical ethics, I have medical ethics. Happy now?”

The girl leaned into Chang Xi’s side and whispered softly into her ear, “Little Mommy, you’re the best. I have to call you by your title because we’re in a hospital.”

That one “Little Mommy”…

Chang Xi’s heart melted instantly, thumping wildly.

A rosy flush, like the colors of a sunset, spread across her cheeks.

It felt as though she were back in Lu Lingzhi’s infancy, the baby with dark, clear eyes watching her, watching her, so well-behaved and sensible.

Hold it together, Chang Xi! She’s not a baby anymore; you can’t just kiss her whenever you want!

“Let’s add each other on WeChat. If the Great Villain bullies me, I need someone to protect me.” Only then did Lu Lingzhi strut out grandly. Before leaving, she turned back one last time. “Seriously, keep those medical ethics. I don’t want you to be fair. I want you to be completely biased toward me.”

She then discovered she already had Chang Xi’s WeChat.

Oh, she remembered now. Chang Xi had come to her house to treat her before.

Chang Xi looked at her WeChat interface. At the very top, pinned: Xie Fuyun, Lu Bao (Lu Lingzhi), Jiang Bao (Jiang Mingyue).

Pharmacy

Lu Lingzhi stood before the self-service payment kiosk and swiped her ID card.

Chang Xi had prescribed a box of medication designed to prevent stress during AO secondary differentiation. To put it bluntly, the drug was a desire suppressant with no side effects. It didn’t mean the Rut or Heat cycles disappeared, it just meant they were manageable.

Lu Lingzhi skimmed the section regarding Alphas.

The medication significantly reduced an Alpha’s dependency on an Omega during the Rut. It was specifically designed to prevent newly differentiated Alphas from losing control, mistreating Omegas, or forcing a lifelong bond in the heat of the moment.

However, the cost made her gasp: 20,000 yuan.